Several divers took the opportunity to straddle the nose cone which – while very strongly not recommended for preservation of the aircraft – gives some idea as to the strange warping of perspective as you start the dive peering into the cockpit windows. Hovering outside the cockpit at 12m is a particularly strange sensation – it seems so very small when you get up-close and personal, whereas back on land it would be several metres above your head. Although nobody would argue that ships belong under the water anymore so than aircraft, ships are at least sunk within their natural habitat, whereas the nose cone of an aeroplane looming above you lends an especially unnatural feel for the dive. The site is prone to only the lightest of currents, and descent onto the wreck is aided by the excellent Red Sea visibility, meaning it will almost always be visible from the surface.Īircraft wrecks always have a slightly eerie feel about them, even if – as is the case with the C130 Hercules – they were deliberately sunk as artificial reefs. With an average maximum depth of around 16m and a flat bottom, the Hercules is upright and almost level, with a length of 30m and a wingspan of around 40m. The Hercules has been sunk in a very easily accessible location, not far from the wreck of the Cedar Pride, and only a few metres from the M42 ‘Duster’ anti-aircraft vehicle, more commonly known as ‘the Tank’ The new dive site forms part of a project spearheaded by King Abdullah II himself, a drive to promote tourism to a country which has escaped relatively unscathed in the aftermath of an overall decline in visitors to the Red Sea, of which Egypt constitutes the vast majority. Revillagigedo Archipelago & Guadalupe Island.
0 kommentar(er)
