Salem Express

Overview

The Salem Express is the most sombre dive in the Red Sea. She is not a war wreck or a cargo curiosity but a passenger ferry that sank off Safaga in December 1991 with hundreds of pilgrims aboard, returning from Mecca. Hundreds never made it home, and many remain inside her. Divers visit not for adventure but to pay respects at one of the region's great maritime tragedies. This is a grave first and a dive second, and it should be approached in that order.

The Dive

The ferry lies on her starboard side on a flat sandy bottom, the deepest point of the hull at around 32m and the uppermost side, with its huge intact propellers, at about 18m; the shallowest reachable structure rises to roughly 7m. The profile is well within Advanced recreational range, but depth and frequently brisk current mean it is not a beginner site. The exterior tells the whole story: lifeboats still in their davits that were never launched, the railings, the bridge, the great "S" funnel markings, and personal belongings, suitcases, shoes and clothing, scattered across the sand. Penetration is forbidden. The wreck is a declared maritime tomb and human remains are still inside; only the open cargo area is ever entered, and most operators and divers stay outside entirely. Many leave a small tribute at the memorial plaque.

Marine Life

Marine life is incidental here and beside the point. In the years since the sinking the hull has gathered the beginnings of a reef, with glassfish, lionfish, the occasional moray and reef fish moving over the structure, but no one dives the Salem Express for the fish.

History

The Salem Express was a roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry working the route between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Safaga in Egypt, a lifeline for Egyptian workers and for pilgrims travelling to and from Mecca. In December 1991, returning overloaded and running behind after a mechanical delay, her captain took an unauthorised shortcut inshore of the Hyndman Reefs to save time. In darkness and rough weather he misjudged the ship's position and she struck an outer pinnacle of the reef. Water flooded in through the bow doors and she rolled and sank in around twenty minutes, far too fast for an orderly evacuation. The official toll was about 470, but with an unreliable manifest the true figure is widely believed to be far higher, perhaps approaching 800. It remains one of the worst maritime disasters in the Red Sea's history.

Good to Know

Diveable year-round from Safaga and Hurghada, usually as a boat day trip, with visibility commonly 10 to 20m. Beyond the standard requirement of an Advanced certification and current awareness, the real prerequisite is respect. Do not remove anything, do not penetrate the hull, and treat the site as you would any grave, because that is exactly what it is. Many operators brief the history before entry; take the time to listen.