With the help of Oyster Diving, we look at some of the world’s most interesting and beautiful dive sites with the added benefits of some unique wrecks to explore. We travel from the far north of Scotland and the wilds of the Orkney Islands to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and down to Micronesia and Queensland
#1 THE YONGALA, AUSTRALIA
Claimed by many as the best wreck in the world to dive due to the amount of life it supports. It is encrusted in corals and masses of marine life that have made its home including sea snakes, manta rays, tiger sharks, octopus, turtles, bull sharks and thousands of clown fish. At 109m long and at a depth of 16-30m, she is suitable for most divers with an Advanced Certification or higher.
#2 THE ZENOBIA, CYPRUS
This wreck was made famous as the world watched it sink on news channels around the world in 1980. Lying just o Larnaka Harbour at a depth of 16m to 42m. The highlight is the 120 vehicles including 108 lorries that can still be found hanging by their chains in there. For advanced and technical divers, the engine rooms can still be visited. You will need several dives to explore the wreck properly. Common marine life around the wreck include grouper, barracudas and damsel fish for people with good eyesight.
#3 THISTLEGORM, RED SEA, EGYPT
Sharm el Sheikh is famed for having some of the best coral reefs and wrecks in the Red Sea and is also one of the few places you can reach the world famous World War II wreck of the SS. Thistlegorm by day boat. The SS Thistlegorm. Lying in 30m in the Straights of Gubal in the Northern Red Sea, she was sunk by a Heinkel He-111. One of a pair that were actually looking for the Queen Mary, a converted ocean liner, now a troopship carrying 1500 Aussie troops, a lucky escape! SS-Thistlegorm. She was bombed in the early morning on the 6th of October 1941 whilst lying at anchor. Full of supplies destined for the RAF in Egypt. A dive on the Thistlegorm is like a visit to an underwater museum. Still full of riffles, ordinance, trucks, Norton and BSA motorcycles and locomotives too.
With the bow at only 15m she is easily accessible although the current can be strong. This diving holiday is suitable for all levels of divers and snorkellers are welcome to join us. There is no formal diving itinerary as we can choose the diving that suits the group including completing dive courses, enjoying the pretty house reef, doing a night dive or venture further afield by dive boat. Most people will opt for a 5-day dive package which gives you 10 dives in these clear blue waters, enough to explore the many different dive sites..
#4 TRUK (CHUUK) LAGOON, MICRONESIA
Often called the ‘Pearl Habour’ of the Japanese World War II fleet. Located in Micronesia, the lagoon was Japan’s main base of operations in the South Pacific. Truk Lagoon was considered the most formidable of all Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. On the various islands, the Japanese Civil Engineering Department and Naval Construction Department had built roads, trenches, bunkers and caves. Five airstrips, seaplane bases, a torpedo boat station, submarine repair shops, a communications centre and a radar station were constructed during the war.
In 1994 Japanese naval fleet came under attack in Operation Hailstone which lasted three days. 12 Japanese warships and 32 merchant ships were sunk. In the ships’ holds are the remnants of fighter aircraft, tanks, bulldozers, railroad cars, motorcycles, torpedoes, mines, bombs, boxes of munitions, radios, plus thousands of other weapons, spare parts, and other artifacts. The coral-encrusted wrecks attract a diverse array of marine life, including manta rays, turtles, sharks and corals.
#5 SCAPA FLOW, ORKNEY ISLANDS
Known as one of the world’s best dive locations, thanks to the presence of wrecks from the German High Seas Fleet, famously scuttled by their interned crews in Scapa Flow in 1919. Of the 52 vessels sunk, seven remain on the seabed and it’s these awe-inspiring wartime ghosts that attract divers from around the globe each year. The three battleships remain the main draw to Scapa Flow, resting upside down on the seabed at a depth of around 45 metres.
The wide range of dive experiences Oyster Diving offer have been chosen by their fully-qualified divers to provide you with the best group diving holidays available. For more details visit www.oysterdiving.com