Issue No. 597
Travel
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1 - 7 August 2002 Issue No. 597 Travel |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
One hundred years of solitude
A HUNDRED and one years ago this month the ocean cargo vessel Numida collided with the reef off Big Brother, the larger of the two Brothers Islands which lie in the Red Sea 60kms east of Al-Qusseir. Diver and photographer Farid Atiya calls this "the most beautiful shipwreck in the world".
The Numida was built in Glasgow and left on her maiden voyage to Calcutta on 28 February 1901. Sadly, the second voyage of this modern vessel, this time from Liverpool, was to be her last. With her general cargo of 7,000 tons and crew of 97 -- there were no passengers -- she sailed on 6 July 1901 for the Mediterranean and through the Suez Canal. She left Suez in the early hours of 19 July, and at 7pm she reached Shadwan Island.
The weather was fine and a fresh northwesterly breeze was blowing. At 11pm she altered course, and at 1am on the following morning the beam off the Brothers lighthouse -- erected in 1882 to help ships steer clear of the reef -- was sighted off her port bow. The captain altered course again before retiring to his cabin, leaving instructions that he was to be woken when the lighthouse was abeam. At 2.10am he was woken instead by a crash as the Numida hit the rocks and ran aground. She was just below the lighthouse and not a mile to the west as she should have been. An official enquiry concluded that the officer on watch had fallen asleep.
The crew tried until dawn to wrest the vessel off the rock, but by now she was taking in a great deal of water. At 7.30am a distress call was sent out, and most of the crew were landed on the island. Other vessels answered the call and tried to refloat the Numida, but eventually the captain realised his ship was beyond hope and allowed his crew to be rescued. He himself stayed on the island for another seven weeks supervising the salvage of the cargo before she finally sank.
After 100 years, the Numida is now an integral part of the reef itself. Her bows lie at a depth of eight metres, marked by a pair of railway engine wheels probably carried as part of her cargo. Below the bows, which are quite broken, the ship lies much in its original shape but is covered by a mass of hard and soft corals in vivid reds, pinks and greens. The railings, masts and other elements of the ship are thus intact, but smothered in colour.
The wreck is home to an abundance of fish species, particularly groupers.
All but the outer framework has rotted away. The hull extends to a depth of 80 metres, although beyond 50 metres the intensity of the coral colours begins to fade.
The Numida is one of the most exciting and rewarding of all wreck dives.
Practical information
The Numida can be dived by arrangement with dive boat operators from Hurghada or Qusseir.
http://home.wanadoo.nl/the_brothers/
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/cumber_internet/brothers.html
http://www.touregypt.net/vdc/dive45.htm
Liveaboard special holidays:
http://www.worldliveaboards.com/redsea.htm
http://www.scuba-diving-safaris.co.uk/red_sea_liveaboards/red_sea_liveaboards_specials_results.asp
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