The Ships of Darkness

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Illustrations: Hand-drawings of shipwrecks: Rik Vercoe.

About Rik: With an ongoing passion for wreck diving, Rik Vercoe has written four Red Sea Dive Guides and produced hundreds of detailed drawings of shipwrecks from around the world. His works can be purchased and viewed at http://www.divesitedirectory.com and www.travellingdiver.com.

The titles of his books are: Red Sea Wrecks; Safaga; Hurghada; Sharm El Sheik Still photographs: Csaba Tökölyi (booklet photographs [except Solaris] and DVD-label) About Csaba: Graphic artist and winner of numerous underwater photo competitions (like UW Images, Beneath The Sea). His works can be seen at his webiste: http://www.csabatokolyi.com.

His portfolio can be found at the Divecenter.hu: http://www.divecenter.hu/portfolio/tokolyi-csaba Róbert Róka (DVD and booklet front cover) About Róbert: His cover photo (The skeleton of lost times) was awarded at various competitions (like the Wetpixel POTW 204, Unterwasser [August 2006], OZTek’07). His works can be seen at his website: http://www. okopix.hu Ferenc Szécsényi (DVD back cover) About Ferenc: His back cover photo was awarded at the DiveCenter.hu competition in 2007. He runs his diving school in Hungary. His website is: http://www.alexandriadc.hu Shipwreck descriptions: Clare and Matthew Slightam (www.divesitedirectory.com) After Dive Tutorial: The “After Dive Tutorial” is created by HelioxFilm LLC. The tutorial files are 1280*800 QuickTime movies and designed to play in a computer. Download QuickTime or upgrade older versions at: www.quicktime.com. Recommended software for playback: QuickTime© Player 7.5 or higher.

Apple Final Cut Pro©, Apple Motion© and Apple Shake© are registered trademarks of Apple Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

“The Ships of Darkness – a voyage with the dead” and “One of us” films and the “After Dive Tutorial” © Gyula Somogyi, 2006–2008 Original Solaris videoclip © Solaris, 2004 Soundtrack © Solaris, 1999 Drawings and photographs © Rik Vercoe, Csaba Tökölyi, Róbert Róka and Ferenc Szécsényi DVD-cover, label and booklet artwork © Csaba Tökölyi Proofreader: Kata Szlukovényi Printer and supporting partner: Argumentum Publishing House http://www.argumentum.net This booklet is part of the Ships of Darkness DVD. Produced by HelioxFilm LLC, 2008 http://www.helioxfilm.com

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Pre-dive briefing

“Let me introduce myself: my name is Jules and I will be your dive guide during this voyage.

We will visit eight shipwrecks at the bottom of the Red Sea. As you can see on the following pages, these ships were born and became wrecks decades and centuries ago. Old freighters and modern battleships sleep in peace under the surface of the seas – in our case, the Red Sea. The dives among these shipwrecks might be only ticks or stamps put in your dive-log, but for some of us, such dives mean mysterious voyages in history, descending from the light into darkness in order to visit the twilight zone, where the remains of wood, steel and flesh serve as a basis for the lively creatures of the underwater world. Flooded chambers, broken masts, exploded walls and windows hardened into stones make up the surroundings of a wreck-dive. Not only material remains might block our way, but we also have to cope with our subconscious fears while visiting these graveyards.

In course of our journey, approach them with respect and with the hat in the hand.

But not only the ships of darkness ought to be commemorated. One of us, Hany Shahat, my former dive guide during the shooting of these films, passed away early this year.

He was young, approximately my age, he was committed to his job and never failed to love the sea and the world beyond. Rest in peace.

During the dive, you will hear a magical, monumental music. Tunes by Solaris and verses of ancient authors guided me while I was creating these films. I will always remember that “Non omnis moriar multaque pars mei / uitabit Libitinam…”. (Horace’s Monument by Horace) I wish you, my fellow diver and audience of my “short stories” to understand the unity of death and life, pictured here, at the lost exhibition of underwater halls.”

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Carnatic 27 °34 Sha’ab A ’53” 33°55’3 bu N 2” British c uhas argo ship 90 me tr es approx 24 metr es max ( (295 feet) 79 20 - 3 0 metres ( feet) 6 5 - 10 0 feet)

The Carnatic is a beautiful 19th Century wreck that lies on Sha’ab Abu Nuhas Reef. Its shallow depth means that it is accessible to all levels of divers and all levels will appreciate it as a great wreck dive. Despite the length of time the Carnatic has been on the seabed (it sank in 1869), it is remarkably intact. The majority of your dive can be done along the outside of the wreck past giant moray eels and other Red Sea reef fish that have made this wreck their home. In the holds you can see the remains of broken bottles, and there are shoals of glass fish inhabiting them. Penetration into the holds is easy for any level of diver. To finish the dive, you can head back along Sha’ab Abu Nuhas reef where you will be able to find many different types of coral and fish before ascending.

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Chrisoula K The Chrisoula K was a Greek registered freighter, and on its final journey its cargo consisted of Italian floor tiles heading for Jeddah. It sank August 31st 1981, after Captain Kanellis passed over control of his ship following two days of intensive navigation. Shortly after the engines were set at full speed, the Chrisoula K was driven right into the northeast corner of the Sha’ab Abu Nuhâs Reef. Thankfully there was no loss of life.

The Chrisoula K now sits in a large open, sandy space. The bows used to rise out of the water, but wave action has now reduced them to a few metres below the surface. The main body of the wreck is generally upright with the cargo of tiles still in place. The stern leans well over to the starboard and is slowly separating altogether. Deep inside the stern, the engine room offers some serious penetration diving for the experienced wreck diver, although there are numerous obstructions, so be careful. There is also the possibility of some much more straightforward penetration with plenty of easy swim-throughs and access to areas worthy of exploration without the danger of becoming lost inside. At the seabed, the large propeller and rudder are still virtually undamaged at the maximum depth for this dive of 26m.

The Chrisoula K is now covered in an assortment of hard corals and has been made home by a variety of reef fish. This shipwreck offers a variety of different dives to cater for all levels of experience.

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Dunraven We had heard from a Red Sea dive guide that the Dunraven sank when the Captain went on a drinking binge having found out that his First Mate was sleeping with his wife. He would not tell the First mate how to navigate, so they hit the reef. The wreck now lies in two sections next to each other, both of which are penetrable, but there is not always an entire route through.

The large brass propeller lies to the north end of the wreck and the reef to the west. The engine can be found in the northern section of the wreck.

The sealife is interesting here and a swim along the reef makes a good end to the dive. Napoleon fish are common, as well as lionfish and flathead scorpion fish. There is a particularly impressive brain coral on the reef as you leave the wreck that is only three metres below the surface.

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El Mina (the Harbour Wreck)

The El Mina was bombed by the Israelis in 1969 in Hurghada bay, but still has a sister ship afloat nearby which is worth looking at to compare to what you are about to dive. The wreck now lies on its side, and there are a lot of small holes to peer into and penetration is possible, although tight, through a significant amount of the wreck. Sea urchins are abundant on the wreck and a very large moray was found living in one of the holes. An interesting dive.

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Giannis D

The Giannis D sank with its cargo of timber in 1983 and lies next to a coral reef. The entire wreck can be seen from either end because of good visibility. It is broken up in the Center, but the bow and the stern remained intact. At the stern on the sea floor there is a point where penetration allows you to travel up towards the top of the wreck to a pocket of trapped air. You will need to leave thorugh the same hole where you entered. At the bow you can see the spot where the boat had been renamed, with the old name just visible under a layer of paint.

Expect to see glassfish, scorpionfish, angelfish, bumphead wrasse and napoleon fish. The dive can be finished by traversing the reef, or by climbing up the mast, which rises up to only four metres below the surface.

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Rosalie Moller The Rosalie Moller sank in the 1940’s with a cargo of Welsh coal, which is all that can be seen in the holds except for in the engine room. It was hit by a bomb on the starboard side, leaving some damage. Penetration is possible as the gaps are large, but is not necessary as the interesting parts of the wreck are visible from the outside. The prop and rudder are worth checking out because they are immense. The deck is very clean and intact except for the funnel which lies on its side. There are ladders leading to the bridge and passageways across the decks. The sea life is fantastic, with thousands of glassfish on and around the deck and the possibility of spotting tuna and other large fish, perhaps even a reef shark.

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The Salem Express The Salem Express is a big wreck that makes for a very eerie dive. You cannot help but be aware of the massive loss of life here as you swim over the lifeboats that lie on the sea bed. Somewhat surprisingly there is little in the way of coral growth considering that it has now been submerged for over a decade. There is a little growing on the top but barely any on the sides of this huge ship. There were quite a few boxfish and pipefish and the occasional lone jack. All in all, an impressive dive due to the size of the wreck, but not one for those who are hoping to see marine life. Perhaps marine life can also sense the feeling of death that lingers over this graveyard.

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Thistlegorm

The Thistlegorm was discovered in 1956 by Jacques Cousteau and is probably the most f a m o u s wreck in the world. It sank in 1941 when it was hit by a German bomb that blew a hole in the port side, igniting tank ammunition that was in the hold. The explosion ripped the roof of the ship backwards, rather like opening a tin of sardines. The stern section of the wreck lies almost horizontal to the sea bed; the remainder of the wreck is nearly upright. Inside the wreckage, tyres, tanks, motorbikes, Bedford trucks, waders and wellington boots can be seen. Penetration is possible around the bridge and blast area. The large prop is still in position and the guns on the stern are in excellent condition. Artillery litters the blast area. A bath tub can be seen towards the bow and a toilet near the stern. The sea life is impressive with possibility of seeing tuna overhead the resident turtle. Expect this to be very busy, especially once the day boats have reached it; it is likely to be chaos both on the surface and under the water.

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Divecenter.hu is the leading on-line information source for scuba divers in Hungary. Nowadays the website provides international and Hungarian news, extensive picture gallery with an exclusive selection from the best Hungarian underwater photographers, and many other services. The latest addition was the dive site directory, which inlcudes ratings and descriptions from registered members.

Divecenter.hu organizes a monthly on-line underwater photography competition and a quarterly videography competition. Hopefully, related forums where experts and beginners share their opinions help the participating amateur artists’ work. All of the services are free of charge for registered members, and divecenter.hu regularly posts news about local and international events which can be useful or interesting for the Hungarian scuba divers’ community.

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Dive site directory was set up to give divers easy access to diving information on dive sites all over the world, with information collated from contributions offered by the diving community. Our information includes overviews for over 50 countries worldwide, spans over 1000 separate dive sites and includes dive site maps for each location, photos, and even diving videos and wreck illustrations. Due to the way dive site directory’s information is provided by our readers, site visitors can be sure that they are receiving impartial, accurate information about diving locations. We take pride in reading every comment and review, contacting the contributor, and editing or copying the images, if necessary, to keep the content placed on the site at the highest standard possible.

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Jaguar Publishing House launched Submarine Búvármagazin (Diver’s Magazine) in March, 2000. Submarine, the only diver’s magazine in Hungary, offers at last a forum for diving, which has developed considerably in the last few years. Authors and artists of the magazine are all attached to the wonderful, fascinating world of the Blue Empire as instructors, diving leaders or underwater photographers. Submarine as a professional magazine is about them and for them, but with our popular articles and reports we also want to address people who are only considering taking their first diving exams, planning their first diving, or simply want to find out about the secret that has captured their partners or friends.

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worldwide well-known progressive rock group from Hungary

In 1999, Solaris published a completely new studio album: Nostradamus, Book of Prophecies. They say about it: “We have been interested for long in the ‘legend of Nostradamus’.

Of course, not necessarily in the way of believing in it. Rather as in a mystical variation of the essential question: how much are we connected to the flow of time? Indeed, are we separated from time by a wall that cannot be crossed? This question

Nostradamus. Book of Prophecies.

makes us think because there is no reply. We have drawn inspiration from several sources, assembled the picture using several elements which became the historical basis of the album.

We handled our sources without any criticism, as if they were true from the very first word to the very last one, though they contradict not only each other, but many times also themselves.

We have not studied which of them has truth-value. If a gap was found somewhere, we filled it with our own fantasy, weaving the legend further. We have simply imagined the thrilling world of “what if…”. We have imagined a monumental, mysterious film. And we composed the music to it. To sequence of pictures that have never existed. […]”

Solaris was founded in February, 1980 in Budapest by university students who loved progressive rock music and science fiction. Solaris: present line-up: Róbert Erdész (keyboards), Csaba Bogdán (guitar), Attila Kollár (flute), Tamás Pócs (bass), László Gömör (drums), Gábor Kisszabó (bass).

Their website is: www.solarisstudio.hu

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Q U A R T E R L Y

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