---
title: El Minya
type: Wreck dive site
location: Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
coordinates: 27.225799560546875, 33.847198486328125
max_depth_m: 30
published: 2023-11-25T21:59:56.557Z
updated: 2026-09-06T15:01:50.113Z
tags: El Minya, Wreck, Red Sea, Dive site, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/diving/dive-sites/el-minya-harbour-wreck
---

# El Minya

## Quick facts

- **Type:** Wreck
- **Location:** Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
- **Coordinates:** 27.225799560546875, 33.847198486328125
- **Max depth:** 30 m
- **Depth notes:** 17-32m
- **Level:** Advanced
- **Rating:** 4.5 / 5

## Good to know

- Best for advanced divers
- Drift dive
- Great for macro photography

## Overview

El Minya was an Egyptian minesweeper, hit by Israeli aircraft in 1970 and sunk just outside the harbor entrance. She lies on her port side with the bow at 25 m and the stern at 32 m, and the highest point of the wreck, at 17 m, is the torn plating around the blast hole where the bomb went in. Machine-gun holes from the same attack run through the hull beside it.

## Location

Roughly ten minutes by boat from central Hurghada.

## Conditions

Sitting just beyond the harbor entrance, the site draws strong current and its visibility varies. Experience is needed for the depth and for the wreck itself.

## Dive plan

The dive is worth more with the history read beforehand. Current here can run hard enough to burn gas quickly, so the gauge needs checking more often than the depth would suggest.

The blast hole at 17 m is the usual reference point and the shallowest part of the structure. The interior invites entry and is lined with torn plate and jagged edges. On the starboard side the anchor is still stowed in place, with the bullet holes in the hull around it, and the rudder and propeller stand clear at the stern.

## What to see

Glassfish pack into every opening in the hull, and lionfish and jacks work the same schools from opposite directions, one hovering at the edge of the metal and one charging in from open water. The bow carries red sponges and pyjama slugs and is the best of the wreck for photography.

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/diving/dive-sites/el-minya-harbour-wreck)*
*Updated: September 6, 2026*