Giannis D

Everything about the Giannis D sits at an angle. This 100-metre Greek cargo ship broke into three sections when it hit Abu Nuhas reef in 1983, and the stern settled on sand at 45 degrees — turning corridors into slopes and walls into floors. The standard dive route drops to the stern at 24m, enters the engine room at 13m where dense clouds of glassfish part around your beam, then works forward through multilevel rooms before exiting to ascend along the main mast. That mast extends horizontally almost to the surface at 4m, offering one of the Red Sea's most comfortable safety stops — and some of its best macro hunting, with scorpionfish and nudibranchs hidden in the encrusted surface.

The "D" painted on the funnel has become an icon of Red Sea wreck diving, reproduced in countless dive magazines and underwater photography portfolios. But the Giannis D earns its reputation as the most photographed Abu Nuhas wreck through more than a single shot. The engine room at 13m delivers a visual that few wrecks anywhere can match: thick clouds of glassfish swirl in the backlit water while giant morays patrol the passageways below. The 45-degree tilt creates compositions impossible on upright wrecks — divers frame themselves against skewed doorways and angular decking. Outside, 40 years of soft coral growth have draped the hull in colour, and batfish cruise the exterior like a welcoming committee. Three names, three countries, and a final voyage from Croatia that ended on an Egyptian reef — the ship's history adds narrative depth to its visual drama.

The Giannis D is the easiest of the four Abu Nuhas wrecks and the best starting point for divers new to wreck penetration. The engine room at 13m has ample natural light, wide passages, and glassfish to navigate through rather than debris. Deeper rooms are more confined and demand wreck experience. The 45-degree tilt is genuinely disorienting on first encounter — maintain depth awareness and keep your exit route clear. An SMB is essential here, as currents can push you away from the boat during ascent. This wreck is popular and often crowded during peak day-boat hours; liveaboard scheduling gives you the quieter dawn and dusk windows.