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The Tragic Tale of the Salem Express
The Salem Express is a heartbreaking sinking that ended tragically and is arguably one of the most dangerous wrecks in the world. The sinking of the Salem Express, a ferry that once transported people from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, lies quietly on the seafloor, far beneath the waves. It is very different from other regrettable shipwrecks that divers joyfully admire. Salem Express is the premier liveaboard diving site, which is recommended by some liveaboards in the Red Sea. Nowadays, the well-prepared divers who have scheduled an Egypt tour and want to see history prefer it.
The Salem Express wreck occurred on December 17, 1991, when it collided with a reef during a ferocious storm near Safaga. Hundreds of people died in this final and most terrifying maritime disaster of modern times while transporting pilgrims returning from Makkah. It stands as a shadow of what used to be a painful memento even to this day, with many personal belongings of the ship scattered on the seabed.
The History of Salem Express Wreckship
As built-in 1966, the Salem Express operated as a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) passenger vehicle ferry with a 115-meter length that had been constructed for routine Red Sea service. At its inception, Fred Scamaroni operated as the ship's initial name until the owners changed the naming convention and reorganized services for Saudi Arabia to Egypt ferry routes. Through its operational function, the ship transported workers along with pilgrims between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The collision with the reef, which was packaged slightly above its official capacity, accelerated the disaster. The sinking was captured in a few frustrating pictures of foam, water, and seafloor, and the hull is just filled with water. In less than 20 minutes, the ship disappeared, trapping many passengers inside. Dive Instructors encourage the dive to be constitutionally respectful of the wreck rather than a typical penetration dive, embracing the belief that rescue efforts would surely be successful in reviving life deep inside its lungs.
How to dive in the Wreck Salem Express?
The Salem Express is full of mixed feelings for anyone who participates in Red Sea liveaboard trips to the North Red Sea. It is an accessible dive for experienced divers for being at a shallow depth of around 30 meters. Most sailboats operating deep in the Red Sea liveaboard often include this site in their itineraries, especially for divers looking at some conscious diving of historical and spatial significance.
Divers will appreciate the size and design of Salem Express much, with the open car decks, portholes, and scattered debris visible even while they still mourn its loss and that of the souls aboard it. Mainly divers seek a wreck dive and oppose it being either a WWII artifact wreck dive like The SS Thistlegorm, with all the saving of life insight. Today, schools of fish use this wreck as their home, near which coral growth around the structure offers a sharp contrast with a sad story. Red Sea liveaboard diving packages usually include a visit to the site and reading along the way with a vivid history of this famous wreck.
Enjoy exploring North Deep with liveaboard diving in the Red Sea
If there is one thing that some divers dream about even before they arrive, it is diving on the Red Sea beaches, and the best way to do so is through liveaboard trips to Egypt's deep south and north. Various Egypt liveaboards provide trips to remote sites, including Safaga port, St. John's, and Daedalus, and sailing around the wreck of Salem Express. Red Sea liveaboard diving exploration guarantees access to some of the most pristine of ores and historic wrecks found deep into these waters. Whether you are looking for deep walls, vibrant coral gardens, wreck diving, or an irrefutable piece of history, Red Sea liveaboards provide an unforgettable sea adventure.
People from the diving world get to witness the unsettling yet appealing energy of the wreck because of Red Sea liveaboard diving tours. By operating from the Red Sea Liveaboard Scuba Diving honors both history and the sinking Salem Express in the unmatched and unpredictable ocean environment. Check out Golavita Travel's services for your Egypt day tour, which will include diving, as they have put together some of the best Egypt travel packages that can provide access to some of the most iconic dive sites. The Red Sea Liveaboard Scuba Diving pays artistic homage to the drowning Salem Express in the unpredictable and unmatched world of the ocean, in addition to honoring history.
