Aboudy wreck by Peter Collings Aboudy wreck by PC

Five new wrecks were located in the Gulf of Suez on an expedition run by wreck hunter Peter Collings and members of Bromley BSAC. It is thought that this was the first time a group of divers has ventured so far north into the Gulf, a notorious area for shipwrecks.

In all, five wrecks were located, including the Second World War tanker Scalaria, a victim of aerial bombardment in 1942. At 122m, it is one of the largest diveable wrecks in the Red Sea. The other wrecks dived were: • The Aboudy, a 76m-long Egyptian cargo ship that foundered off Ras Gharib in 1988. The wreck lies on its port side, and much of the original cargo can still be found - for those who are interested in bottles of cough medicine. The wreck is popular with schooling barracuda.

• The Alita, a 1,365-tonne Maltese vessel, which sank when her cargo shifted on a voyage from Thessaloniki to Sudan in 1988.

• The Bakr, a survey vessel belonging to the United Arab Republic Petroleum company. It sank after being hit by Israeli missiles in 1973 during the Yom Kippur war. The Russian-built ship is about 44m long.

'These new finds, coupled with wrecks we already know about at Ashrafi, Ras Shukier and Ras Dib, give divers a new and exciting wreck itinerary well away from the crowded sites of the Sinai,' said Collings.