The Baltic wrecks around Öland and Gotland are simply a diver’s paradise - report from the Baltictech team's expedition - SANTI | Diving Equipment | Drysuits, Under suits, Heating System, Ladies First, Afterdive

For centuries, this area has seen heavy maritime traffic — first sailing ships, and later large steel vessels and warships during WWI and WWII. Because of the long distance from shore and the depth of the sites, few divers ever venture here. That’s why the wrecks remain almost untouched.

We’ve explored the wrecks near Öland many times, but Gotland always seemed too far away — or the weather just didn’t cooperate. This time, everything worked out perfectly. In mid-August, a small team of us — Tomasz Stachura, Maciej Honc, Bartłomiej Pitala, and Tomasz Wciórka — set off from Łeba towards the northern Baltic. Some nights we stayed at sea to be ready on site at dawn, while other times we squeezed into tiny Swedish harbors. With the weather on our side, we were finally able to tick off wrecks from our long “to dive” list every single day.

Over eight days, we had the chance to dive on magnificent wooden wrecks and unique old steamships lying between 40 and 103 meters. We were especially curious about the deepest site, hoping it would be something truly extraordinary. At the bottom, we found what may be a 500-year-old wooden wreck — but aside from the massive rudder and stern post, there wasn’t much to capture our imagination.

The steamships, on the other hand, were beautifully preserved and absolutely stunning to explore. Luckily, there are still a few wrecks left on our list, which means there’s every reason to come back.

Since hardly anyone organizes trips to this region, we’re seriously considering running a few commercial expeditions here next year. Would you be interested in joining such unique — though demanding — dives?

Written by: Tomasz Stachura