All divers feel a thrill at the sight of a wreck. Their minds race to thoughts of sunken treasures, chests full of gold coins, etc. Some, however, think of stories of heroes or cowardly men – narratives that undoubtedly accompanied the tragic sinking event.
This strong connection with our past makes wreck dives one of the most beloved activities among divers worldwide. For some, it represents a true passion!

For recreational divers, a wreck dive is undertaken primarily for leisure or study – never for treasure hunting or artifact recovery. In its early days, however, wreck diving was a bona fide profession. Even in ancient Roman times, diving guilds (“urinatores”) existed to salvage cargo from shipwrecks along the shores or to restore access to a port when blocked by a sunken vessel. Naturally, they dived on a single breath.
Today, recreational divers focus mainly on wrecks dating from the late 19th century up to the present, especially those from World War I and World War II.

Why is there so much interest in this activity? Here are three main reasons.

1. Historical Interest. Wrecks represent an immense heritage from which valuable insights about the past can be drawn. Researchers are interested not only in the cargo content but also in the original appearance of the intact ship, its construction, why it carried that cargo, its layout, etc. All of this requires meticulous study of every tiny fragment and, above all, its position.
2. Biological. Once sunk, wrecks become real structures that host a vast number of aquatic organisms. In many areas, wrecks are the sites with the highest concentrations of marine life. Some old ships are even “sanctified” (all pollutants, including paints, are removed) and intentionally sunk to promote the repopulation of the area.
3. Curiosity. The allure of wrecks has always been an irresistible call to discover what is hidden within and to learn the causes of the sinking. There is often a naïve hope of finding a treasure, even though it is very rare to encounter unvisited wrecks – and any treasure found would not rightfully belong to us.