Barge de Gubal

Best months: Jan, Mar–Dec

Protected Area

شعاب البحر الأحمر

Why dive here

Barge de Gubal is a wreck dive where divers can encounter dolphins, spinner dolphins and whale sharks. Water ranges 23-30°C, warmest July, August, September.

Marine lifeDolphins, Spinner Dolphins and Whale Sharks

Water23-30°C · warmest July, August, September

CharacterWreck dive

The Barge de Gubal is a personal favourite when we’re after a solid wreck dive in Sharm, away from the big-name ships. It’s not a deep dive, making it perfect for extending bottom time and really getting to explore. We love swimming through the holds, which are often packed with glassfish, and we’ve seen some surprisingly large Brown-spotted Groupers lurking in the shadows. The outside of the wreck is a canvas for soft corals, and you’ll find plenty of inquisitive Bandcheek Wrasse darting about. Keep an eye out for Snakefish on the sandy bottom nearby, they’re masters of camouflage. The real treat here, though, is the chance of spotting dolphins passing by; we’ve had incredible encounters with both Indian Ocean bottlenose and Grey Dolphins. It’s a great site for photographers, especially with the ambient light filtering into the wreck.

Safety Notes

Wreck site - avoid penetration without wreck diving certification. Watch for sharp metal and entanglement hazards.

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Barge de Gubal Wreck History

Vessel Type

barge

Cause

storm

Lying in the shadow of the mighty SS Ulysses wreck in the Strait of Gubal, this humble barge has a history intertwined with the safety of these treacherous waters. In the late 19th century, as maritime traffic through the Suez Canal grew, a series of lighthouses were constructed to guide ships. This barge was a support vessel for the project, laden with construction materials and equipment. During a sudden and violent storm, it broke free from its moorings and sank, becoming one of the area's first artificial reefs.

Today, the 'Barge de Gubal' is a beloved dive site, often visited as a second or third dive after exploring the nearby deep wrecks. Resting on a sandy bottom at a shallow depth of around 15 metres, it's a perfect subject for underwater photographers. The wreck is teeming with life; its open structure is packed with thousands of shimmering glassfish, which part like a curtain as you swim through. It is also famous for its resident giant moray eel, often found peering out from its home. Scorpionfish, stonefish, and crocodilefish are frequently spotted camouflaged on the deck, making it a dive that rewards a slow and careful pace.