20. The best wrecks of the Adriatic Sea
Exciting dive spots where we need a reliable dive light.
The increasingly popular seashore of Croatia attracts nowadays more and more divers. The most famous dive sites of the mainland and the many islands are the wrecks. Some of them lies in the depths and it's possible to swim into them so these are the dives to bring your dive lights. We try to recommend a few wreck sites for those divers who want to test their Spark Lights products at sunken ships and planes.
If we head to the South from the North our first stop is the Istrian Peninsula. This is one of the wreck heaven of the Adriatic. There are sunken ships from the WWI and WWII, and many other wrecks in this area. The most famous ship was the Baron Gautsch passenger ship which is often called as "The Titanic of the Adriatic". The 85 meters long ship was sunk by a mine in 1914, it rests in 40 meters depth.
The HMS Coriolanus another ship worth mentioning. The British minesweeper was sunk in 1945 and it became famous because it participated in secret intelligence operations. The Italian Guiseppe Deazza minesweeper was lost during the WW II as well. Another war wreck is the 99 meters long Hans Schmidt which has a cargo of war material. We have to write about the first deliberately sunk ship of the Adriatic Sea, the Vis, which lies the Istrian Peninsula too. The ship was used by the former Yugoslavian leader, Josip Broz Tito but now only divers can visit it.
When we reach the Kvarner Gulf the first wreck to dive is the Lina which rests near Cres island. It was built in 1879 and sank in 1914. The divers should watch their depth during diving because the hull lies on steep slope so there quite deep parts of it. The neighboring island, Krk's most famous wreck is the Peltastis. The Greek cargo shop was sunk in 1968, very close to the shoreline. It's an often dived wreck with rooms to penetrate- don't forget your dive light in the surface!
There are more dive sites with ancient amphorae near Pag island. These 2000 years old items can be exciting to those divers who are interested in history. These spots are the proofs of the ancient marine trade of the Adriatic Sea.
The Francesca Da Rimini cargo ship was sunk in 1943, close to Kaprije island. It lies fairly deep, the divers can reach its board at 40 meters. There are a lot of ammunition and mines all around the ship. The divers discovered a few years ago another exciting wreck close by. Just before Zirje island there is one of the infamous German dive bombers of the WW II, a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka under water. The plane wreck is intact, nowadays it's one of the most attracting wreck of the Adriatic Sea.
Close to Rogoznica there is another plane wreck: a Yugoslavian J21 jet fighter which was shot during the Croatian War of Independence. It was scattered so not much to see here but it has some historical significance. There lies the a wreck of a Romanian cargo ship in the area too, it was sunk during the WW II.
Vis island is the best destination in Dalmatia for the wreck divers . The local dive centers offer many dive sites. They often dive the wreck of Teti. It was sunk in 1930, and it's famous about its marine life. Watch out for the conger eels! The 105 meters long Vassilios is one of the largest wrecks of the Adriatic. The divers found a famous American bomber near Vis island too, a B-24 Liberator. The "Tulsamerican" rests at 40 meters depth.
This short article can't describe all the exciting wreck sites of the Adriatic Sea. The adventorous, skilled and well prepared divers who are interested in history won't be disappointed in these dive sites. But if they want to make the most of the dives, they shouldn't forget their dive lights at home.
2018.09.14