Shore Diving the Yatush Wreck

I shore dove the Yatush in May 2026 with Joseph Leverton of Big Blue Sea, entering from Village Beach in Eilat, Israel.

We did it the same morning as the Satil, the other top shore wreck here. The Yatush is the deeper of the two, at 105 ft (32 m) at its deepest point.

It also carries a history that stretches far beyond the Gulf of Aqaba, to the rivers and coastlines of Vietnam.

The Wreck

The Yatush is a patrol cruiser that served in Vietnam for years before being transferred to the Israeli Navy when the Americans withdrew their forces from Southeast Asia.

It was deliberately sunk in August 1987 to create an artificial reef and dive site, joining a small collection of intentionally scuttled vessels along the Eilat coastline.

The wreck sits at the end of a steep sandy slope, with the bow reaching around 98 ft (30 m) and the stern sitting shallower at roughly 82 ft (25 m).

At just 49 ft (15 m) long it is a compact boat, but the profile of the hull is intact.

Israel requires a wreck diver certification to go inside and I do not have mine yet. I handed my camera to Joseph and he swam it through the interior, which is where the inside shots came from.

The Dive

On the swim out you cross a field of garden eels at around 20 ft (6.1 m). Past that, the wreck.

The Nitrox Plan

Doing the Yatush and Satil back to back is a popular combination in Eilat, but it requires planning.

The Yatush at 105 ft (32 m) sits right at the edge of what EANx 32 allows before maximum operating depth becomes a concern.

I ran EANx 32 on both, which kept the surface interval down to just over an hour while staying within safe oxygen exposure limits.

What Marine Life I Saw