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A tale of two wrecks: an alternative to Indonesia’s stunning reefs
New to wreck diving or just looking for a change? Most divers will have heard of the fantastic diving opportunities that abound in Indonesia – fantastic reefs and walls in crystal blue water, marine life, large and small, and tremendous photo potential. However, there are some easy, exciting and rewarding wreck dives on offer which give a fantastic introduction to this scuba specialty.
Molas wreck, Manado Bay, North Sulawesi
This dive makes a great break from reef and wall diving in the amazing Bunaken National Park, a short boat trip from the mainland or from Bunaken Island. Sunk in 1942, this Dutch steel hulled freighter is pretty well intact and is laying on a rock and sand slope with the bow at 38m and the stern at 30m water depth.
The wreck is about 60m long and is in excellent condition and covered in heavy coral growth. It presents many photographic opportunities with lots of batfish and many smaller fish shoaling around the wreck. Often black tip sharks and barracuda can be seen cruising around. On close inspection you will find various types of nudibranch so macro is also an option.
The best way to dive this is to finish off the dive moving up the slope and into the beautiful coral garden starting around the 15m mark; here you will find garden eels, sea snakes, goby and jawfish and also a great location for your safety stop. This is a year round dive, suitable for advanced divers. Normally visibility is good to excellent, with little current. Your local dive guide will be able to advise the best time of day to visit this great example of a virtually intact vessel sitting upright on the seabed.
Kubu wreck, Kubu, Tulamben, Bali
If your diving trip takes you to Bali, it will surely mean you have planned a visit to the Tulamben area to the north of the island. Here the opportunities for macro photography abound, with easy beach access to fantastic marine life.
However, a chance to dive an easily accessible wreck gives an opportunity for a pleasant change. If you wish to avoid the over-hyped and overcrowded Liberty wreck at Tulamben, then just down the road, heading north is the village of Kubu. Through the small village you will find a beach which gives easy access to this great dive.
Deliberately sunk, in 2012, this Dutch built (1952) patrol boat was previously used by the Indonesian fisheries and it now plays host to many varieties of marine life as an artificial reef. Black tips, barracuda and bumphead parrot fish, as well as many smaller reef fish and the occasional turtle, have chosen this site as their hunting ground. Lionfish hover around the sandy bottom under the hull and many scorpion fish live amongst the abandoned deck cargo of old storage jars and nets.
The wreck lies in 27-30m and is virtually upright. A 25m swim from the beach will put you on the marker buoy. The bilge area is intact and can be easily penetrated so its an ideal intro to wreck diving. This makes a great swim through providing the correct wreck diving procedures are followed. Moving to the foredeck you can see an old jeep loaded with storage jars which is home to superbly camouflaged scorpionfish.
This dive offers the photographer excellent opportunities for some great shots. Once again, it is possible to dive this all year round, but it is best to avoid the rainy season; your local dive guide can advise. This is suitable for advanced divers, but as with all dives requiring access from the beach, a good standard of fitness is required. Be careful on the stony beach during entry and exit as the swell can sometimes be quite strong. If you would like a second , shallower dive there is a beautiful coral garden and drop off accessible from the same beach.
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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