Eve and I dived the wreck of the Salem Express with Emperor Divers while staying at Soma Bay in June 2003.

Based in Safaga, the Salem Express was a sizeable roll-on roll-off car ferry which provided a ferry service between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. On 16 December 1991, the ferry was loaded with vehicles and passengers who were mostly returning from the holy city of Mecca. Close to midnight, the Salem Express hit a bank of coral off Safaga. A gaping hole appeared on the forward starboard side and water also entered the car deck. The ferry sank quickly. The lifeboats still roped to the ship are evidence of the speed with which the Salem Express went down. Officially there were 690 passengers on the Salem Express and only 180 survivors. However, there are claims that there were many more unlisted passengers and that up to 1600 people may have perished. The ferry now lies on its starboard side, its deepest part in 30 metres, its port side just 10 metres from the surface.