Diving at ship wreck the Carina

Name divesite:	Shag Rock, Carina
Depth:	5-15m (16-49ft)
Visibility:	10-30m (32-98ft)
Accessibility:	Live-aboard
Time to visit:	All year around with warmest water in summer (apr-aug)
Specifications:

The Carina was an 18 century sail and steamship which has many secrets. She has a length op 50 meters and lies in only ten meters of water. People refer to its location as the northern part of Shag Rock, but actually this piece of reef is an extension of nearby Sha'ab Ali. The southern part, famous because of the Kingston or Carina, is officially named Shag Rock. Its origin of name is not very clear and is most probably given by local fisherman. Some say it has something to do with the stars as the Carina was originally part of a large star constellation.

There is not much left of the original ship, which lies on her starboard side and sank in 1926. The iron hull and stern are still quite intact. The masts, engine, propeller and boilers can still be seen, some scattered around the place. As there is a lot of current, often coming from the north, diving is often done as a one way drift across the wreck. Live-aboard tours like to do this dive as a shallow third dive of the day before spending the night in the sheltered parts of Sha'ab Ali.

It is an old wreck which results in many species of fish and pelagic. The ship is covered with different species of hard and soft corals. There is a reef nearby which has definitely increased this process as species made this ship their home very quickly. Enjoy this easy but beautiful dive.

Shag Rock is an egg-shaped reef reachable by boat from Sharm-el Sheik but more often done on safari and live-aboard cruises. There are actually two of those reefs very close together and because of the absence of a name for the northern reef Shag Rock is often referred to for both of them. Its name comes from the numerous cormorants or shags which were visible on an old light frame. On occasions those birds can still be seen sitting on top of parts of the reef. The best diving can be done at the southern of the two at its east side where you will see many pelagic, soft and hard corals. There are sea cucumbers, sweetlips and many butterflyfish. It is a regular reef where you can make some easy dives. There is a wreck named the Kingston in the east and another named the Carina in the north.

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