Simply Scuba Dive Site Review : Thistlegorm, Egypt June 8, 2016 by lukesheppard

Thistlegorm sank in 1941 and then was lost for a good few years until Jacques Cousteau found it. The Thistlegorm was a transport ship transporting valuable equipment towards the British soldiers up fighting in the Mediterranean, but she was sunk by a German bomber while she was moored up at night. There’s lots to be seen off Thistlegorm wreck as most of it is still in good condition. There’s a bomb section towards the stern. The forward section up towards the bow is all complete, but the stern section is mostly lost, except the very stern where you can see two anti-aircraft guns.

There can be some strong current on Thistlegorm because it sits in the middle of the Red Sea, so you can get current running in either direction. So if you’re confident in currents, you can swim on the outside and see all of the chains. You can even see the anchor because Thistlegorm was sunk whilst it was anchored up. You can see the anchor chain on the bow that leads all the way down to the sea bottom.

If you swim away from her port side, you can see one of the locomotive trains that was on top of Thistlegorm that was blown about 100 metres off during the explosion. There are plenty of entry and exit points in Thistlegorm and lots to explore inside. Inside Thistlegorm, you’ll see some very well-preserved motorcycles, Bedford trucks, ammunitions, Wellington boots, and all sorts.

So it’s always worth going for two or three dives on Thistlegorm. So it’s worth going on a live aboard as opposed to just a day boat. On the day boats, you’ll only get about one or maybe two dives and it will be very, very busy. On live aboards, you get to stay there and you get to see it almost all by yourself. Inside the wreck, there isn’t always the greatest amount of space. So if you’re not too confident with confined spaces or your buoyancy isn’t too good, you can just stay to the outside, but if you do have good buoyancy and you are confident about penetrating wrecks, you can see some amazing things. With its strong currents and its small swim throughs, Thistlegorm is for intermediate to advanced divers. Beginner divers should just stay to the outside, but just be wary of that current because it can whip you off the wreck very, very quickly. You’re going to be going up and down mooring lines, so hold on nice and tight and follow your guide.   Have you ever dived at Thistlegorm? Don’t forget to check out our other dive site reviews here.