As we drift down the buoy line, there’s nothing but blue around us. Slowly, Al Shorouk fades into view below. At this depth, coral growth happens more slowly than in the sunny waters above – remarkably free from encrustation and corrosion, she almost looks like she could’ve sunk yesterday.
Meet Al-Shorouk – she says hello.
We arrive at her bow in 38m of water and begin to explore. This is an excellent technical dive for the experienced and students alike. Thanks to the good condition of the wreck, we have no problems penetrating her bridge and engine room and the experienced (and equipped) can venture further into her interior, where invertebrates rule the dark and photo opportunities abound (keep in mind the ship lies on her side, so orientation can be slightly confusing).
She’s very well-preserved for her age.
For now, we’ll continue along her port rail, exploring the main deck and superstructure, as we descend to Al Shorouk’s deepest point – her stern lies in 55m of water atop a reef shelf. From here, we’ll descend below 60m to make pass through the large swimthrough beneath the ship.
Both bridge and engine room are safely penetrable – if you know how…
The rest of the dive is up to you – we have a large, well-preserved, 45m by 15m shipwreck and we’re going to need stage decompression here, so we’ll be underwater for a while.
Many divers simply hang in the blue on the mooring line, but there’s much more to see if we ascend north along the bottom to Kirk’s Forest and Eel Canyons, making our final decompression stop at The Tank.
We’d like to remind you that Al-Shorouk means in Arabic Sunrise
Al Shorouk Facts Sheet
IMO number
8954465
Type of Ship
Landing Craft
Gross Tonnage
510 tons
DWT
317 tons
Former Names
Nour 3 until 2006 Jan
Aqaba Star until 2004
Ashod until 2000
Ashkelon (period unknowing)
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