The Ulysses

Overview

The Ulysses is a beautiful, often-overlooked Victorian wreck at the mouth of the Strait of Gubal, lying on the reef of little Gubal Island (Gubal Seghir). A 95m British steamer that ran aground in 1887, she is one of the oldest accessible wrecks in the Red Sea — broken open, draped in soft coral and lying across a convenient depth range that makes her an easy, atmospheric dive. With far fewer boats than the nearby Abu Nuhas wrecks, the Ulysses often delivers a quiet, coral-rich wreck experience.

The Dive

The Ulysses lies on her port side on the reef slope about 300m north of the Gubal lighthouse, and the profile is gentle and welcoming. The wreckage starts shallow at around 5m on the reef and slopes down to roughly 25–28m at the deepest point, so the entire ship can be explored within easy recreational limits. Dives typically drop onto the deeper stern and work forward and up along the hull — past the exposed ribs, boilers and winches — finishing over the shallow bow section in the coral. The hull is broken and open, which means there is no serious penetration required; you swim over and through a structure that has effectively become part of the reef.

Current in the Strait of Gubal can be strong — this is a busy, exposed shipping channel — so dives are timed and a drift element is common, but the shallow, sheltered reef slope makes for an easy ascent. Advanced Open Water is comfortable, and confident Open Water divers handle the upper wreck well with a guide.

Marine Life

Well over a century underwater has grown a superb coat of soft and hard coral over the iron hull, and the wreck teems with reef life — glassfish and anthias swarm the structure, with lionfish, scorpionfish, groupers, morays and the occasional turtle among the wreckage. The surrounding Gubal reef is healthy and lively, and the shallows make for a colourful, well-lit safety stop.

History

The Ulysses was an iron-hulled British steamship of the Ocean Steamship Company (Alfred Holt's "Blue Funnel" line), built in 1871 and rigged for both steam and sail. On 16 August 1887, while carrying a general cargo and bound for the Far East, she ran onto the reef at Gubal Seghir in the dark. Her crew and most of the cargo were saved over the following days, and the abandoned ship was gradually broken up by the sea, settling onto the reef slope where she lies today — making her one of the earliest of the Red Sea's great wreck dives.

Good to Know

The Ulysses sits in the Strait of Gubal between Hurghada and the Sinai and is reached on Gubal day trips and northern Red Sea liveaboards, usually combined with Bluff Point and the nearby wrecks. Diveable year-round; visibility is typically 15–25m. The appeal is the combination of age, easy depth and rich coral with far smaller crowds than Abu Nuhas — a relaxed, photogenic wreck for divers who appreciate history over hype.