The Salem Express was a former 115m long passenger ferry which sank in 1991 at great human cost just south of Safaga. The immense tragedy of this event makes diving the Salem Express a unique experience that leaves a lasting impression on most scuba divers. She rests on her starboard side on a flat sand bottom at 27m of depth, with the shallowest section at just 7m.
There is an undeniable eeriness to diving a wreck where the human tragedy is so evident. Lying on the sea floor are everyday personal items such as a handbag, a briefcase, a child's tricycle. The ship’s lifeboats also lie next to the vessel’s hull. Diving the wreck has been a matter of controversy due to the numbers of lives lost. The official death toll is 470 lives, but estimates from the salvage operation put the number of recovered bodies at 850. The presence of human remains inside the ship means that the Salem Express was declared as a maritime tomb and penetration is forbidden, apart from in the cargo area.