Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide

Jun 24, 2016 BY AWE365 Team

For many divers, wreck diving presents a tantalising challenge. Wrecks are ghosts of the past preserved on the seabed, which also connect the underwater world with life on solid ground. There are some wrecks that stand out from the crowd so we have put together this top 10 wreck dives worldwide.Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide flickr image by habi

The majority of wrecks are military ships, offering divers a glimpse into a life that most know little of. Wrecks become artificial reefs, so can often be found covered in coral and teeming with fish. Wrecks tend to be in deep water, and so are sometimes only suitable for experienced and technical divers, but interesting wrecks dives worldwide are found at shallower depths, too.

Please note the images in this top 10 wreck dives worldwide do not correspond to the dives mentioned. Unfortunately I have been unable to find matching images so instead have used inspiring wreck diving images

Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands

Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands 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 -very high for UK waters.

Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide 2 flickr image by shirokazan

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 before it was sunk near Nantucket in 1956 – the last of the great ocean before the age of air travel. It lies at a forbidding depth of 73 metres and is only for the most experienced technical divers – 15 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.

Truk Lagoon, Micronesia

The remains of the Japanese fleet, more than 60 ships and planes attacked by the US in 1944, lie at the bottom of the Truk Lagoon. One of the best is the Fujikawa Maru, a 132-metre long freighter lying at a shallow depth – the top of the wreck is at 9 metres, the bottom at 34 metres, putting it within reach of all recreational divers.

Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide 2 flickr image by gratiartis

Colourful corals grow all over its decks, and fossilised sake bottles can even still be found. The engine room is fascinating, but only suitable for those with the right training.

Thistlegorm, Sharm-El-Sheikh

This area is home to wonderful diving of all kinds, but this wreck stands out. She was a British ship sunk in the Gulf of Suez in 1941 while transporting supplies to the British army stationed at Alexandria. These included gun carriers, rifles, radio equipment, jeeps and wellington boots.

Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide 2 flickr image by Blaueflosse

This is also one of the top 10 wreck dives worldwide because you are likely to see schools of barracuda, giant tuna and snapper regularly. The Dunraven, a Victorian steam ship sunk in 1876, is also nearby.

Umbria, Sudan

Also in the Red Sea, the Umbria is an Italian cargo ship sunk in 1940. It sits in a quieter region than that near Sharm-El-Sheikh. Lying at a shallow depth of 5-35metres, the Umbria provides 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.

Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide 2 flickr image by Neil Rickards

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, 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.

As well as the obvious historical interest, the Yongala hosts a wonderful variety of fish and marine life. Because it acts as an 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, and highly accessible as it sits at between 21 and 68 metres deep it is 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

The Oriskany, or the ‘Mighty-O’, was deliberately sunk off the Florida coast near Pensacola in 2004, and 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. The flight deck has a depth of 40 metres – so for the more experienced – but the bridge and gun platforms are visible at much shallower depths.

Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide 2 flickr image by Thespis377

Marine life, including grouper and tuna, gather all over the ship and its variety should improve the longer she sits on the bottom.

So come on tell us – are there any better wrecks out there which we have missed from our top 10 wreck dives worldwide?

This article was written by Element Copywriting. If you are looking for a professional Perth copywriting service get in touch!

 
Africa, Asia, Atlantic Ocean, Australia, Cyprus, Egypt, Europe, Florida, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, North America, Oceania, Orkney Islands, Pacific Harbour, Queensland, Red Sea, Scotland, Sharm El Sheikh, Sudan, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu
Scuba Diving
Advanced, Coral Reef, Deep Dive, Wreck Diving
Travel Articles
 

13 responses to “Top 10 Wreck Dives Worldwide”

  1. Sure to become a top 10, the USAFS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a former WWII military troop transport that was later converted to a missile-tracking ship, was intentionally sunk May 27, 2009 to form the second largest artificial reef in the world. She is located approximately seven miles south of Key West, Florida in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary at the southern end of the Florida Keys Shipwreck Trail. Measuring just over 159-metres in length at a depth of 43-metres, she provides a variety of exploration opportunities across four decks for all levels of diving experience. Marine life includes shallow and deep-water fish such as Goliath grouper and sailfish, and possibly an occasional shark. The Vandenberg also holds the distinction of being the first sinking streamed online in a live Wi-Fi broadcast.

  2. I remember seeing the footage. Great to think you could dive to something so recently sunk. And not a war grave either. Finish off back where you probably started: on the beach in Florida. Nice.

  3. The worlds first purpose built aircraft carrier HMS Hermes off eastern Sri Lanka, sunk by Japanese bombing in 1942 with the loss of 304 lives. History, character, size and amazing marine life from tropical reef fish, potato groupers and dogtooth tuna to huge black corals. Sri Lanka also has more than 300 known wrecks including at least 30 that can be dived by recreational divers. The capital Colombo has 10 great wrecks within 40 minutes boat ride from each other. These include an intact 95m freighter, a large tugboat, a WWII zero fighter, transport barges, a 100m freighter that sank in 2009 and what is possibly a WWI wreck.

  4. Baron gautsh

    Croatia, North adriatic, Istra
    84,5m long, 11,6m wide
    Average depth 28 m / 91.9 ft
    max depth 40 m / 131.2 ft
    Current Medium ( 1-2 knots)
    Visibility Medium ( 5 – 10 m)

    this you need to see this dive it is incredible

  5. Dear Editor,

    Thank you for including Coolidge, Vanuatu on the top 10 list.
    We very much appreciate if you can edit the name to “SS President Coolidge, Vanuatu”, and it’s 200 meters long, sit between “21 to 68 meters” in depth. It’s the largest and most accessible Ship Wreck in the world.
    Please let me know if you wish to have a photo on the Coolidge.

  6. The Leer Mentor in New Zealand – known as Russian on the rocks. An 80s pleasure cruiser that hit rocks. It’s in a quiet sound with awesome viz and so much still to see. Check out chucky’s run. A dive along the retail shopping aisle with all these dolls floating along the ceiling looking down at you x

  7. Thanks for all the comments. If we get enough different wrecks that people feel should be in the top 10 we will consider them write a second top 10 – after all its all based on opinion.

    So keep the comments coming!

  8. You are missing the USAT Liberty wreck in Tulamben BAli, perfect for all levels.

    It’s a shore dive with depths ranging from 4 to 30 meters.

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