Egypt opens underwater military exhibit to lure divers away from fragile Red Sea coral

New coral reefs expected to grow on tanks and military equipment submerged near the city of Hurghada

A tank being transported to Hurghada to be sunk for display at the underwater military museum. Photo: Red Sea Governorate

Egypt’s Red Sea province on Thursday opened a new underwater museum by placing former military vehicles underwater for divers to admire.

The museum, a joint project between the municipal government of the Red Sea province and Egypt’s Environment Ministry, extends over three new diving spots off the resort city of Hurghada.

An opening ceremony was held at a port in Hurghada on Thursday.

The main aim of the project, according to a statement from the Red Sea province’s governor earlier this week, is to divert diving – a hugely popular activity in Hurghada – away from coral reefs, worn down by decades of mass tourism, by introducing alternatives nearby.

The decision to sink old military equipment, which includes old tanks and other vehicles, and make it the main attraction of the diving spots, was taken to highlight the important role of Egypt’s military in shaping its history, the statement said.

Over time, new corals are expected to form on the surface of the sunken military equipment, according to Dr Mahmoud Hanafy, a prominent marine biologist and member of the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (Hepca), a ministry-affiliated body that oversees environmental projects in the Red Sea.

The project was announced in 2019 when the armed forces transported a number of disused military vehicles to Hurghada.

Though the use of military equipment will make for an exciting sight for tourists, Mr Hanafy told The National the original idea was to reduce strain on the coral in Hurghada, which offers some of the Red Sea’s most scenic dives.

“To sustain the reefs, an average of about 22,000 annual dives is optimal, however, the sites near Hurghada record over 200,000 dives each year, which puts tremendous strain on the reefs,” he said. “These alternate diving sites will attract at least some of those divers away from the worn-down corals.”

The project launched on Thursday, with a second phase expected to be launched next year at four other diving spots also off Hurghada’s coast.

“Schools of fish will colonise each tank or vehicle and they will be followed by algae and other smaller organisms,” Mr Hanafy said. "After a year or so, soft coral will begin to form on the surface of the military equipment and maybe five or six years down the line, they will become bigger corals."

Many scientists including Mr Hanafy are optimistic that the project, which has been successful in other parts of the world, will make Egypt’s Red Sea more sustainable.