Dive into History – Wreck Scuba Diving in Croatia

The beautiful coastland and sparkly blue waters offer lots of great wreck diving in Croatia opportunities to make every diver happy, but it is the many shipwrecks that most draw divers from all over the world to the shores of Croatia.

Along the Croatian coast there are more than 1,500 sunken shipwrecks of different sizes and ages, and each shipwreck has its own story. They reflect the dramatic history and the many battles that have taken place in the Balkans.

Wrecks in Croatia are located all along the coastline, so no matter where you plan to stay, you will find some great wreck there.

Below is a list of the most enticing shipwrecks.

Baron Gautsch

It may be one of the most famous shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, and also one of the greatest tragedies, because it killed more than 250 people.

Known as ‘The Titanic of the Adriatic’, this Austro-Hungarian passenger ship was on its route from Kotor to Trieste when she crossed paths with one of her country’s own mines on August 13, 1914.

The ship completely sank in just 10 minutes, taking more than half of her 300-plus passengers with her, many of them children.

Today this piece of history lies west of the Brijuni islands, and is home to numerous fish, algae, and sponge species. The upper deck lies at 28m/91ft, with the lower part at 42m/137ft.

Diving here is only recommended for CMAS**/AOW-certified divers. It is a protected national cultural heritage site, and it is only possible to dive here by going through an authorized dive center. The wreck can be penetrated.

Lina Wreck

This wreck has abundant marine life and is one of the most photogenic wrecks. It was a British ship built in 1879 in Newcastle, England.

In 1914 she got caught in a storm near Cres Island, hit a reef, and never saw land again. Divers can swim throughout its decomposing cabins and see the holes in the lower part of the deck where the reef did its damage.

With a maximum depth of 55m/180ft, this wreck is suitable for experienced divers. The wreck can be penetrated.

Peltastis Wreck

The Peltastis is a Greek cargo ship that sank during a storm in 1968 near the island of Krk. Though it is believed that the ship sank during a storm, many experts are doubtful that a storm could have enough force to sink a ship of those dimensions.

The wreck now lies at a depth of 20-30m/65-98ft, and is easily accessible to divers. Its mast is at 10m/32ft, and from this depth the first outlines of the ship are discernable. The ship lies on the sandy seabed on its keel in the upright position.

Advanced divers can dive at this site. Recreational divers who have completed specialty wreck diver certification can also penetrate the captain’s bridge. Technical divers have a great chance to try penetrating the lower part of the ship and the engine room. There are still engines and machines down there.

B-17 Wreck

Who said that wrecks can only be ships? The B-17 is a great example of a plane wreck. It is one of the US bombers that crashed into the ocean trying to land on the airfield on the Croatian island of Vis in 1944. The clear, calm waters here make it easy to explore the plane, which is still intact and in perfect condition.

Because of the depth of 75m/246ft, this site is only suitable for deep divers and technical divers.

HMS Coriolanus

The HMS Coriolanus was a warship of the British Royal Navy during WWII, and in 1945 it was dismantling German mines in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Because an explosion in the ship’s hull, she sank quickly. This wreck is very popular with divers, and the depth only ranges from 11-25m/36-82ft.

The shallow waters of this site make it a good diving spot even for less-experienced divers.

Giuseppe Dezza

The Giuseppe Dezza is a torpedo ship from World War II lying off Rovinj. The site features a shipwreck that fell apart in two pieces after hitting a mine, so the prow and the stern are now located at a distance of about 50m/164ft from each other, at a depth of approximately 35m/114ft.

The stern usually is of more interest to divers. The upper part is lying in 30m/98ft of water with well-preserved guns, and is covered with multicolored seaweed, sponges, and moss.

This wreck is only recommended for AOWD-certified divers.

Taranto wreck

Located not far from Dubrovnik, the Taranto was a merchant vessel used by the Italian navy throughout World War II as a transport ship. In 1943, while carrying flour and tractors to Dubrovnik, the Taranto struck an underwater mine and ran into the Grebeni Islands and sank.

The ship’s bow now lies at a depth of only 10m/32ft, and because the Taranto sits at a 45-degree angle, the dive takes you down towards the ship’s steam engine.

The stern is located at a depth of 40m/131ft. Two tractors and the remains of the cargo lie strewn around the wreck. The rupture in the bow created by the collision with the cliff allows divers to dive under the wreck.

The Taranto is now an ideal home for many underwater species, including schools of mullets, cardinalfish, scorpionfish, lobsters, and octopi.

With a maximum depth of 51m/167ft, this is a site for experienced divers only.

Brioni

The Brioni was a passenger/cargo steamboat that sank off the southeast coast of Vis when it ran into trouble during a storm. It lies on its left side and is covered in yellow sponges.

Brioni lies at 50-60m/164-196ft and is only suitable for technical divers.

S-57

This ship also sank during World War II, and it was one of the best-equipped warships of its time.

It lies off the north coast of the Pelješac Peninsula. One of the main attractions is the ship’s anti-aircraft gun, still intact and with a functional mount. Two torpedo openings are visible on the bow and the bridge is well preserved.

The ship’s interior is also visible: the engine room and three engines can be seen.

The wreck is a national protected site and can only be visited by going through an authorized dive center. The average depth is 38m/124ft. Diving at this site is only available for CMAS**/AOW-certified divers.

TA-36

The TA-36 (ex- Stella Polare) was an Italian and then German destroyer that struck a mine at Brestova in 1944. The wreck lies at the depth of 45-65m/147-213ft. The front of the ship is approximately 150m/492ft from the rest of the wreck, although the main part lies almost intact.

You can only dive this wreck by going through a licensed dive company.

Tihany Wreck

This is another Austro Hungarian ship that sank in 1912 when it ran aground near the isle of Školjić while entering the port of Unije.

The vessel is 60m/196ft long and lies at a depth of 33m/108ft. In its immediate vicinity the remains of ancient ceramics can also be seen, pointing to the fact that this location has been a danger to ships for millennia, and that many other vessels went down at this location.

Vis

The Vis was built in 1921 in Glasgow, Scotland. Vis is a 120m/393ft cargo ship that sank in 1946. During the war she was taken by the English military and set to navigate in convoys to Africa.

In 1946 she arrived in Rijeka transporting aid to Yugoslavia, after which she had to go to Raša to get a cargo of coal. She sank in front of Plomin when she hit a mine.

This site is only suitable for CMAS*** DiveMaster divers only, and requires specialized deep-water equipment suited for exceeding 40m/131ft in depth.

There are many more oportunity for wreck diving in Croatia  that await divers in the depths of the Adriatic to show their treasures.

If you have any questions or need help planning your diving trip, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] – or just drop us a line in the online chat.