Wreck treks: Giannis D

The Giannis D was a 99,5m long cargo vessel which was launched in 1969. Its original name was Shoyo Maru and it was built in Japan. It was re-named to Markos in 1975 and to Giannis D in 1980. Its final journey started in April 1983 from the port of Split in Croatia, the destination was Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the cargo was softwood. The trip was uneventful until the Gulf of Suez where the experienced captain went to his cabin for a little relaxation. A bit later the GIannis D hit the Shab Abu Nuhas at full speed and the crew abandoned the ship.

 The Shab Abu Nuhas is the final resting place of many ships. This coral plateau became a popular spot amongst wreck enthusiasts, while it's still dangerous for cargo vessels who pass by the Straits of Gobal. Nowadays the Giannis D is one of the often visited wrecks in the Northern Red Sea because it's easy to dive and the huge wreck is quite spectacular.

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Wreck treks: Patrol Boat

It's quite typical to sink boats as diving attractions, this small boat lies near Alanya. The locals call this artificial reef simply New Wreck or Yenibatik in Turkish. Not the most exciting wreck I've ever seen but it's easy to dive - unless you have some problems equalizing.

We booked our daytrip in Alanya but the extremely cold A/C of our hotel room caused some problems. The first dive from the spacious boat was OK, the really warm water in August was nicer than I expected. We saw some octopus and crabs but I felt my ears didn't work perfectly. Our next dive site was the wreck where we needed to descend directly to 20 meters from the surface. My buddy and me weren't able to go down so the group left us behind. When they came back (their bottom time wasn't too long), our dive leader, a very experienced former navy diver with some pressing movements around my ears made me to equalize. So we descended and I spent a few minutes near the wreck.

The maximum depth was around 30 meters. The boat was a former patrol boat which was in nice condition and we could penetrate. There were some artificial amphoras around as well. I didn't see too much life except when a shoal of barracuda swam near the wreck. We finished the dive but for the next few days I had to forgot every dive because of my ears. Anyway, I dived this artificial reef and I learned they try to attract more divers even to Turkey. Alanya is a typical holiday destinations but it seems even there they expect more and more underwater explorers. This small and not too special wreck is just enough if somebody plan a nice and relaxing day in the sea during a family holiday but those who want really exciting adventures will choose another dive destinations.

Wreck treks: Sweet wreck

I like these wrecks where I don't need to care too much about my air consumption or bottom time. The so-called "Sweet wreck" lies in the shallows of the Croatian Adriatic, close to the picturesque town of Rogoznica. The local dive center's instructor simply call it "small wreck", so I had to look for information in the internet. For my surprise a website says it was a 2nd world war Romanian cargo ship and it sank with full of chocolate. This is the meaning of "Sweet" wreck nickname.

The dive is quite easy. The dive boats anchor near Smokvica island. We use to start diving in the shallow, and in 3-4 minutes we reach the largest intact part, the stern with the wheel. The depth is only 20-23 meters, it's easy to swim around the small hull, look into the holes, look for crabs or another fish. The current is rarely strong, the visibility is not bad, so even a beginner would enjoy diving this wreck.

When we spent enough time with the stern, we head back to the shallow to see the deck: it separated after the explosion and lies a few meters away. Under the huge steel plates there are hiding animals like scorpionfish. During the safety stop I like to look for octopus on the rocky bottom and usually I find some of these cute animals. One of my favorite spots in the Razanj area- I always like to dive this wreck when I travel here.

 

Wreck treks: Tien Hsing

This small wreck isn't famous at all, nobody travels to the Egyptian Red Sea to do some dives at the Tien Hsing. Most of the divers don't know its name, they mention Tienstin or simply call it "the wreck of the Abu Galawa". Me too and I like this.

First of all the history lesson: the Tien Hsing was built in China in 1935 and hit the Abu Galawa reef in 1943. The 35 meters long tugboat's position is special: it starts from the surface and the stern reaches the bottom at 17 meters. The dive site is popular because the divers can't find too much shallow wrecks in the Marsa Alam area.

Basically it's a simple small boat which would look a typical, isn't too exciting watercraft if it would be mooring in a harbor. Under water it became an underwater oasis with splendid life. There are small rooms with glassfish, holes with morays, groupers, pipefish. The divers need to be careful in specific places as in every wreck but it's a nice dive spot even if you never penetrate. There isn't strong currents and it's quite protected, sometimes the liveaboard boats spend the night here and the divers can observe how the wreck's fauna change in the dark. In the ray of light the coral covered wreck becomes a mysterious underwater object with hunting lionfish or sleeping parrotfish.

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News 44-45/2011

I confess I'm disappointed when I read news about wreck looters, and sadly they're everywhere: even in Finland.

Many people dislike the idea of artificial reefs. I don't know if it's a good way to reduce the stress on coral reefs or we just create an underwater backyard. Recently the Vandenberg wreck won a conservation award.

I wish I had the chance to travel to Queensland to see the annual coral spawning. Sadly I can't do it but many tourists can, this year a lot of them arrives to the Great Barrier Reef to see it.

I regularly join underwater cleanup days, great to see how much garbage we bring to the surface- and disappointing to realize the people dumped them into the water. And many other divers join conservation project around the world! It was very interesting to read an article about scuba diving priests of the Philippines who works for the sea.

Michael K. Williams says no to the chumming: the actor liked the diving with great whites but the the way of attracting them.

Interesting news from week 43/2011

An American diver was attacked in Australia, near Rottnest Island. The government made a controversial decision when let the fishermen to catch all the white sharks in the area. It seems there is a shark panic, two sightings was enough to talk about safety again.

The Japanese whalers suspended their hunt last year earlier than they planned. The Sea Shepherd celebrated the victory but it seems the Japanese don't give, they spend even more money on whale hunt.

A man found an underwater camera which traveled hundreds of miles in the sea. Now he try to find its owner- check out the photos which can help.

Sometimes we feel we know nearly all secrets which lie in the shallows but it seems divers find always new wrecks in different areas. In Panama they hope to find the remains of Francis Drake's ship, while a diver documented three wrecks in Lake Michigan.

In the Ukrainian Black Sea divers do real underwater art: they paint in the deep.

Wreck treks: Salem Express

In the age of artificial reefs we sometimes think about all the wrecks as underwater playgrounds. We forget the tragedies and sorrows which hide beneath a sunken ship. Many of these are actually tombs where sailors, passengers, merchants died and there are those which were declared war graves and the diving is forbidden. Majority of the divers respect this and don't disturb the wrecks where dozens or hundreds of people died.

There is a wreck in Egypt which is controversial because its sinking was one of the worst tragedies in the maritime history. The Salem Express was a car and passenger ferry which collided to a reef not too far from the port of Safaga in 17th December of 1991. It sank in minutes. The official report said 470 people died there but many experts claim the passenger list wasn't credible, the loss of life was around 700- or more. It's still a mystery. It was simply too dangerous to recover all the bodies so the divers sealed some parts of the Salem Express with human remains. Many Egyptians think nobody should dive there. Whatever some people want the government didn't forbid visiting, as they let tourists visit tombs like the pyramids or the Valley of Kings.

Now the wreck of Salem Express is as recognized attraction as the pharaos' tombs. Those who stay in Safaga surely dive it and dive centers organize daytrips from Hurghada as well. Technically it's an easy dive. The 115 meters long wreck lies on her starboard side. The dive starts around 10 meters depth and the deepest point is only a bit more than 30. The visibility is usually good, most of the divers simply swim around, they see the bow, the bridge, the stern, the screw... It seems a perfect place for an easy and enjoyable wreck.

But somehow you feel the difference. It's an emotional experience. Even during the briefing when the guides ask everybody to respect the memory of the victims and don't take any items. I remember when one of the guides gave us some flowers to bring to this underwater cemetery. The glasses of the cabins are broken. There are the beds where families slept who didn't foresee the captain's tragic mistake. There are bags, suitcases, shoes. Only two decades passed since that night, the items look new. If you dive there you know and feel it's not a place to cheer up visitors like an artificial reef. Some leaders allow their guests to penetrate, some don't. There are spacious rooms and corridors with cars, a restaurant with tables still attached to the deck. And there are the bodies, somewhere deep inside the Salem Express behind steel plates.

However the Salem Express is popular amongst dive tourists. If you don't know its story everything seem peaceful and nice. But somebody, somewhere will tell you about this ship. You can dive here but you really have to respect this underwater graveyard. The sea what we love took the life of hundreds of children, women and men. See the wreck, the passengers' personal baggage, learn about their story and remember them.

More videos:
Divers scooter the Salem Express
Penetrating Salem Express

Wreck treks: HMS Maori

It happened seven decades ago. A Tribal-class destroyer was mooring in the Malta Grand Harbour when a German aircraft attacked and sank it. It's not too extraordinary to dive a boat's wreck which sank during the WW II but the HMS Maori was in the fleet which chased and sank the Bismarck in 1941. It was one of the boats which rescued the few survivors. The wreck was in the harbor of Valletta and blocked the traffic of the boats. They raised and scuttled it, later it was sank close to the shore.

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Moving pictures: September destinations

Well, I collected a few nice videos to show how many interesting destinations wait the divers in the early autumn in Europe...

One of the great movies from Rafa Herrero who is inspired by the wonderful underwater world of the Canary Islands- I know, geographically it doesn't belong to Europe but as a region of Spain I can travel there easily.


The exciting dive spot of Crete is a WWII wreck of a Messerschmitt Me-109 fighter plane.


Highlights of the Bodrum peninsula in Turkey.


One of the well kept secrets in the Mediterranean is the Medes Islands. This protected area in Southern Spain has abundant flora and fauna.


In my opinion the Black Sea has more undiscovered wrecks than the other European seas. There were less divers so they found less ships under water, that is reason why we hear regularly about exciting findings from Ukraine, Romania or Bulgaria. This video shows an UB I-type submarine near Varna, Bulgaria which was discovered by BSTD.


A very nice movie about the best dives spots of Gozo island (this tiny island belongs to Malta).

Wreck treks: Zenobia

Wreck treks: Zenobia

Would you dive a truck wreck? And how about a few dozen trucks- on the deck of a ferry boat?


The wreck of the Zenobia is really extraordinary. If I think about that ship I always wonder on the incredible story of its sinking during the maiden voyage, the incredible dimensions (its length was 178 meters!), the incredible shipment (there are still many of the loaded trucks), the incredible location (only a few minutes from Larnaca). If you look for the 'perfect wreck' you get it when you dive Zenobia.

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Wreck treks: Lina

Lina - Photo by Karoly Szabo

The Lina is one of the famous wrecks of the Croatian Adriatic and probably the most praised in the Kvarner area. I had the chance to dive it this spring after our friend invited us to his boat to visit. It took a longer boatride from Krk town where we stayed to the other side of Cres island. The 70 meters long Lina was built in 1879, and sank in 1914.

You'll find a lot of information about the Lina but I confess my dive wasn't that spectacular. First of all, the visibility can be quite bad here, we measured only 10 meters and our friend who dives the wreck more often said it's rarely much better. The diver simply unable to see the huge body entirely. The best view is at the shallowest part of the Lina, the impressive bow stands upright so most of the good shots were taken here.

When we left the harbour we saw some dolphins, and the route was quite relaxing on the calm sea. If you're lucky the dive boat will anchor directly above the wreck. We were near the wall which meant we needed a short surface swim but at least we finished our dive below the boat. Just before submerging one of our buddies had some problems, she was a bit frightened after the briefing so he joined the dive leader and we followed. In the foggy water we descended fast, we couldn't see clearly the surface and the wreck neither. At 25 meters we arrived to the bow, made a last check and started to swim deeper- the propeller was at 55 meters but none of our group went there. I realized some of the parts of the boat but I don't remember too much details. At 36 meters I showed I didn't want to go deeper as there seemed only shadows of the stern while the water temperature was only 13-14 Celsius degrees. I don't want to lie, I didn't feel too comfortable. At one point we turned back, ascended to the bow again and now I had the chance to see the famous view. We swam to the slightly sloping wall where we needed to make our deco stops.

I confess I don't have any special memories of the wreck but enjoyed much more the second part of the dive. I saw many small inhabitants of the Adriatic, we tried to shake hands with an octopus and played hide-and-seek with a cuttlefish. Don't miss this wall after diving at the Lina, most likely you will have to stop for a few minutes after the deep wreck dive. Much more fun to look around here than to hang on a rope. So maybe the Lina is the most famous wreck in the Kvarner but for me it's not a special dive spot unless we do a long safety stop in the shallows. In my opinion the wreck is too deep for the ordinary diver (especially for beginners) and the bad visibility doesn't make it too spectacular.