SS Turkia

Overview

The SS Turkia is one of the finest sport-depth wrecks in Egyptian waters that almost nobody dives — a near-intact early-1900s steamer resting high up in the Gulf of Suez, well north of the usual day-boat range. Sunk by fire and explosion during the Second World War, she sits upright and penetrable on a sandy bottom, far enough off the beaten track that divers who reach her often have the wreck entirely to themselves.

The Dive

The Turkia lies upright at around 24m to the seabed, with the shallowest superstructure rising to roughly 10m, so the whole wreck sits comfortably within recreational limits. The explosion that sank her tore large openings in the hull, and those breaches now make for easy, well-lit penetration: divers can move through the cabins, the saloon, the pantries and the galley with multiple exits close at hand. The main deck and holds offer the classic atmospheric wreck swim, while the more intact stern rewards a careful look. Current is usually light to moderate, but the site's exposed position up the Gulf means conditions are tide- and weather-dependent. Wreck-diving experience and a torch make the penetration far more rewarding.

Marine Life

Decades on the bottom have made the Turkia a magnet for fish in an otherwise open, sandy stretch of the Gulf. Dense clouds of glassfish and hatchetfish fill the interior spaces, barracuda and fusiliers hang in the blue around the hull, and lionfish and scorpionfish patrol the plating. The wreck's role as an isolated oasis means schooling fish concentrate here in numbers that the surrounding flat seabed can't support.

History

The SS Turkia was a British steamship built in England in 1910. In May 1941 she sailed from New York bound for Piraeus in Greece, routed via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal in the hope of avoiding wartime danger on the Atlantic and Mediterranean approaches. A few kilometres short of the canal, a fire broke out in one of her holds and triggered an explosion that sank her in the Gulf of Suez, near the Zafarana lighthouse, where she rests today.

Good to Know

Best dived in the warmer, calmer months, the Turkia's real obstacle is access: she lies a long way up the Gulf of Suez, out of reach of most safari boats running from Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada, and is typically only visited by specialist northern-wreck itineraries or operators based closer to Suez. Visibility can be variable in the shallower, siltier waters of the upper Gulf. For divers who make the effort, it is one of the best intact wrecks in Egypt at genuine sport-diving depth.