ABOUL FAWARES - Dahab
Aboul Fowares isn’t about depth, it’s about history, and frankly, a bit of a laugh. At a maximum of six metres, this trawler wreck is a genuinely unique Dahab dive, especially if you’re looking for something different from the usual reef dives. We love parking ourselves right above it, drifting in the slight current, and just soaking in the story. The trawler, which went down after a collision in 1979, is broken in two, but remarkably intact for its age and shallow depth. You can actually poke around the wheelhouse, seeing where the helmsman would have stood. Inside, the light plays through the gaps, illuminating schools of small glassfish that shimmer as you pass. Outside, the hull is thick with soft corals, particularly a vibrant purple variety, and we’ve often found a couple of stonefish perfectly camouflaged on the deck. It’s ideal for photographers wanting to practice wide-angle in natural light, or just for a relaxed second dive. Don't expect dramatic drop-offs, just a peaceful exploration of a Red Sea relic.
- Location
- Dahab, Egypt, Red Sea & Middle East
- Coordinates
- 28.900000, 33.166668
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 6m
Wreck History - ABOUL FAWARES
- Year Sunk
- 1979
- Vessel Type
- fishing vessel
- Cause
- collision
The Aboul Fawares was a trawler that met a dramatic end on January 30, 1979. While navigating the Abu Ragab area near Dahab, it was involved in a catastrophic collision with the Russian motor vessel Salvador Allende. The force of the impact was so great that the Aboul Fawares was broken in two before sinking beneath the waves.
Today, the wreck rests in the sand at a very shallow depth of just 6 meters, making it an incredibly accessible dive site. It's a perfect location for beginner divers, training dives, or as a relaxed second dive of the day. The two separate sections of the hull lie close to each other, inviting exploration. Over the decades, the structure has become a small artificial reef, attracting a variety of Red Sea marine life, including glassfish, pipefish, and the occasional scorpionfish hiding in plain sight.
Best Time to Dive in Dahab
The warmest water temperatures in Dahab occur in August, averaging 27.9°C. The coolest conditions are in March at 20.9°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 22.0°C
- February: 21.1°C
- March: 20.9°C
- April: 21.8°C
- May: 24.0°C
- June: 25.6°C
- July: 26.5°C
- August: 27.9°C
- September: 27.3°C
- October: 26.1°C
- November: 25.4°C
- December: 23.8°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Dahab
- 3 Pools - 5-18m (shore)
- 7 Pinnacles - 15-30m (pinnacle)
- Abu Helal - 10-25m (reef)
- Abu Talha - 30m
- ADRIANA - 20m (wreck)
- Aqua Sport
- BLUE FISH - 3m (wreck)
- Blue Hole - 100 (cenote)
- BOREALIS - 0m (wreck)
- Canyon (cave)
- Cedar Pride (wreck)
- Cedar Pride Shipwreck (wreck)
- Circle Divers Dahab House Reef (reef)
- Confined Water Training Area - 5-10m (lagoon)
- Dahayla North - 10-25m
Nearest Dive Centres to ABOUL FAWARES
Marine Life in Dahab
Home to 27 recorded species including 12 reef fish, 6 hard corals, 5 whales & dolphins, 1 clams & mussels, 1 sharks & rays, 1 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Marbled Spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus) - Reef Fish
- Lesser valley coral (Platygyra lamellina) - Hard Corals
- Fluorescence grass coral (Galaxea fascicularis) - Hard Corals
- Grey Dolphin (Grampus griseus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Red lionfish (Pterois miles) - Reef Fish
- Bridled Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Staghorn coral (Acropora eurystoma) - Hard Corals
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- Rock Cod (Epinephelus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Blacktail Butterflyfish (Chaetodon austriacus) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Red Squirrelfish (Sargocentron diadema) - Reef Fish
- Snakefish (Trachinocephalus myops) - Reef Fish
- Long-beaked Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Klunzinger's wrasse (Thalassoma rueppellii) - Reef Fish
- Starflower coral (Astreopora myriophthalma) - Hard Corals
- Humpbacked conch (Gibberulus gibberulus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- scad (Priacanthus hamrur) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for ABOUL FAWARES
Based on average water temperature of 24.4°C, currents 5 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 24°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories