Blessing in disguise! The sinking of humble cargo ship Giannis D in the azure-blue waters of the Red Sea created a haven for divers
comments
As far as divers are concerned, crashing into a coral reef was the best thing that could have happened to cargo ship the Giannis D.
The 87 metre-long vessel went down after hitting the Shaab Abu Nuhas Reef on April 22 1983 and has since transformed into an underwater playground for diving enthusiasts.
Underwater photographer Andrey Nekrasov, 42, ventured the 24m down to examine the beautiful, broken hull and was impressed by the condition it's maintained during its second life.
'This is a great, well-preserved ship,' Nekrasov said. 'There are a lot of great items still on board - a trumpet, a winch, a ladder and the masts. All this has become overgrown with coral and the ship has acquired quite a mystical appearance.'
The softwood cargo of the Greek ship, which had sailed out of Rijeka in Croatia, was destined for the Saudi Arabian Port of Jeddah, with the remainder to be off-loaded at Hodeidah on the coast of Yemen.
But With the captain in his cabin for the night, the ship's crew couldn't navigate around the corner of the reef while getting up to the top speed of 14mph.
The hull was destroyed when the entire back half of the ship separated from the front half leaving the the forsaken wreck to now lie in three severed parts - the bows, amidships and stern.
Once the Giannis D had struck the coral reef, the crew abandoned the listing ship.
An Egyptian tug attempted to salvage the wreck, but it was eventually declared a loss and the ship was consigned to the depths.
The wreck of Giannis D has long been popular with scuba divers who are attracted to the size of the wreck and the clear water which has a visibility of up to 27 metres.
What a wreck: The Greek cargo ship, Giannis D, has become an underwater wonderland for divers in the stunningly clear Red Sea
Down the funnel: A diver explores the funnel of the Giannis D, which sunk when it hit the Shaab Abu Nuhas reef on April 22 1983
Climbing time: This was once a rope that hung off the side of the 3,000 ton cargo ship, but now it supports a multitude of sea life including this beautiful coral... and a diver
Second coming: Underwater photographer Andrey Nekrasov has captured the reef in all its glory , describing it as 'a great, well-preserved ship'
Under the sea: On board or near the ship there remains a trumpet, a winch, a ladder and its masts, but with the character-adding coral and creatures
Hiding place: The Giannis D's taken on a quite 'a mystical appearance', says the photographer, after not completing its journey from Rijeka in Croatia to the Saudi Arabian Port of Jeddah
Job unfinished: Two divers explore the vessel which was supposed to finish its job delivering a load of softwood to Hodeidah on the coast of Yemen
Nature's gift: These golden fish aren't scared one bit of the diver as they swim in and out of the coral and other sea life growing on the wreck
Full circle: The ship is now the host for the same creature, coral, that brought it unstuck when its crew failed to navigate around a reef in the absence of their captain
Perfect vision: The waters surrounding the Giannis D offer visibility up to 27 metres, making it a pristine location for divers
Book your travel
Put the internet to work for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment