Best Wreck Diving Destinations: Top 10 Ship Wrecks to Scuba Dive

For many divers, wreck diving presents a tantalising challenge. The best wreck diving destinations are ghosts of the past preserved on the seabed. They connect the underwater world with life on solid ground. There are some wrecks that stand out from the crowd, so we have pulled together the top 10 ship wrecks to scuba dive worldwide.

**This worldwide wreck divers guide was originally published in 2013. It has been updated a few times, most recently in December 2024**

Best Wreck Diving Destinations Worldwide

• Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, UK
• Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
• Andrea Doria, North Atlantic
• Chuuk Lagoon (Formerly Truk Lagoon), Micronesia
• Thistlegorm, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt
• Umbria, Sudan
• Zenobia, Cyprus
• Yongala, Queensland, Australia
• SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu
• Oriskany, Florida, USA

Why Go Wreck Diving?

The majority of these wrecks are military ships, offering divers a glimpse into a life that most know little of. Furthermore many offer penetration dives, where you explore inside the wrecks and even document what is there. This makes it both more interesting and more dangerous, which is a huge draw for many divers.

Over time, wrecks become artificial reefs, so can often be found covered in coral and teeming with fish. In many destinations wrecks turn a rather dull piece of seabed into it’s own ecosystem that abounds with life.

Many of the best wreck diving destinations are located in deep water beyond the PADI open water qualification. This means they are only suitable for experienced and technical divers with advanced qualifications. That said there are interesting wreck dives worldwide that are found at shallower depths.

Of course part of the attraction of wreck scuba diving is exploration. There are many divers who activity seek out new wrecks, catalogue them and try to bring up age old relics. Of course there is always the chance of finding a valuable lost treasure, which in some instances maritime law allows you to keep.

Top 10 Ship Wrecks to Scuba Dive Worldwide

Please note the best wreck diving destinations below are in no particular order. It was hard enough to choose just 10 let alone rank them! We have tried to ensure that the images in this top 10 wreck dives worldwide correspond to the dives mentioned, but apologise in advance if we have got any wrong.

Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, UK

Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands in the far north of Scotland is home to a variety of wrecks. Most are from the German High Seas Fleet of nearly 100 battleships, which was scuppered here after the First World War. Visibility can be up to thirty metres, which is very good for UK waters.

The size of the fleet and the number of submerged vessels is the main attraction here. With so many wrecks to choose from, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get bored. The largest are the Kronprinz Wilhelm, the Markgraf, and the Konig, which is 177-metres long.

Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands

Bikini Atoll is known both for its excellent wreck diving and its varied reef diving, so there’s something here for all divers. Most spectacular of the wrecks is the USS Saratoga, a 300-metre long aircraft carrier, larger than the Titanic, with eight decks.

Almost intact, she was sunk in the first underwater atom bomb test in 1946. Dive down the elevator shaft, and into the hangar past parked planes, bombs and rockets. Many personal objects, such as coffee pots and aftershave bottles, still remain.

Andrea Doria, North Atlantic

The ‘Mount Everest’ of scuba-diving, the Andrea Doria was an Italian passenger liner. It was sunk near Nantucket in 1956, it was one of the last of the great ocean crossers before the age of air travel.

It lies at a forbidding depth of 73 metres so is only for the most experienced technical divers – 16 divers have died here. Those who dive will find a ship that is beginning to crumble, although artefacts such as china and glass are still sometimes recovered, and revered among divers.

Chuuk Lagoon (Formerly Truk Lagoon), Micronesia

Attacked by the US in 1944, the Japanese fleet of more than 60 ships carrying everything from tanks to planes, lie at the bottom of the Chuuk Lagoon. Colourful corals grow all over the Chuuk Atoll wrecks, and fossilised sake bottles can even still be found.

One of the best wrecks is the Fujikawa Maru, a 132-metre long freighter. The top of the wreck is at 9 metres, the bottom at 34 metres, putting it within reach of recreational divers. Penetrating the engine room is fascinating, but only suitable for those with the right training. Book a Chuuk lagoon wreck diving holiday in Micronesia here.

Thistlegorm, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt

In an area renowned for Scuba, a Red Sea diving experience on the world famous SS Thistlegorm stands out. She was a British ship transporting supplies to the army stationed at Alexandria that was sunk in the Gulf of Suez in 1941. You can still see gun carriers, rifles, radio equipment, jeeps and wellington boots.

This is also one of the top 10 wreck dives worldwide because you regularly see schools of barracuda, giant tuna and snapper. The Dunraven, a Victorian steam ship sunk in 1876, is also nearby making this one of the best wreck diving destinations on the planet.

Umbria, Sudan

Also in the Red Sea, the Umbria is an Italian cargo ship sunk in 1940. It sits in a quieter region than Sharm-El-Sheikh. Lying at a shallow depth of 5-35metres, the Umbria is perhaps the perfect wreck dive. She is small enough so divers can cover the basics in one dive, yet large enough to not leave them bored, so they still want to come back.

Watch out for Fiat cars, wine bottles, lifeboats and munitions. Those trained in wreck penetration can reach the engine room and bakery – bring me back a multi grain loaf please!

Zenobia, Cyprus

A much newer wreck than many, the Zenobia sank on her first voyage in 1980 when her computerised ballast system malfunctioned. A roll-on, roll-off vehicle ferry, the Zenobia sank with 104 articulated lorries on board. The ship is huge at 178-metres long, giving plenty to explore.

The accommodation deck and canteen are interesting, and it’s even possible to sit in the ship’s lifeboats! The highlight though is surely the egg lorry, with its cargo still perfectly preserved.

Yongala, Queensland, Australia

The most intact wreck in Australia, the Yongala sits in that diving haven: the Great Barrier Reef. She was a passenger steam ship and went down suddenly in a cyclone in 1911, killing all on board. Without doubt one of the top 10 ship wrecks to scuba dive worldwide.

As well as the obvious historical interest, the Yongala hosts a wonderful variety of fish and marine life. On this artificial reef, you’ll see ten times more species here than on a simple reef dive. The ship is particularly famed for its sea anemones and clownfish.

SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu

At 200-metres this is a very large wreck. It sits at between 21 and 68 metres deep making it one of the largest and most accessible ship wrecks in the world. The Coolidge was a luxury liner converted to use as troop ship by the US, and sank in 1942 when she ran into mines. It now ranks as one of the top 10 wreck dives worldwide.

There is so much to explore here! Masses of military goodies, guns, tanks, trucks, helmets and gas masks. The medical area is fascinating, with medicine bottles and syringes visible, as is the captain’s bathroom. Many relics of her life, such as a mosaic fountain, remain intact, despite the weathering of the sea.

Oriskany, Florida, USA

The Oriskany, or ‘Mighty-O’, was deliberately sunk off the Florida coast near Pensacola in 2004. It now functions as the world’s largest artificial reef. She is a 275-metre long ex-US army aircraft carrier that was used in Vietnam. As 40m the flight deck is for the more experienced. But the bridge and gun platforms are visible at much shallower depths.

Marine life, including grouper and tuna, gather all over the ship. The variety of marine life is improving the longer she sits on the bottom.

What Are Your Best Wreck Dives Worldwide?

So come on tell us your favourite wreck diving destinations. Are there any better wrecks to explore than detailed above? Let us know in the comments below.

Has this guide to the top 10 ship wrecks to scuba dive worldwide has inspired you to don your mask and fins? If so check out these scuba diving holidays worldwide.