wreck

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ESS NAKIL (POSSIBLY)

The Ess Nakil, or what we strongly suspect is the Ess Nakil, is a real favourite for us in Sudan. It's a steamship, sitting upright in a startlingly shallow ten metres, making it accessible for almost any diver. We love dropping down and immediately seeing the entire structure, the bow rising out of the blue, the stern gently sloping away. This isn't a wreck you just swim over. We often spend an entire dive just on the aft section, exploring the propeller and rudder, then moving to the massive, barnacle-encrusted boiler. The superstructure is gone, but the hull is remarkably intact, especially amidships. You can poke your head into the cargo holds, sometimes finding a grumpy moray eel peering back. On a sunny day, shafts of light pierce the remaining deck plating, illuminating schools of small silver fish that dart between the metal beams. There’s a quietness here, a sense of history that’s hard to find on deeper, darker wrecks. It’s a gentle dive, perfect for photographers or anyone who likes to take their time soaking in the atmosphere of a lost vessel.