For millennia, humanity has been awe of the ocean. It was a source of sustenance, a road for trade and for the discoveries of new worlds, the last frontier. If it's true that life began in the sea, then that does much to explain our ages-long love affair with the ocean. In older times, the sea was also a place of countless dangers, where sea monsters roamed the waters and the abyss awaited those who dared approach the ends of the world. Nowadays, there are many shipwrecks that became famous tourist attractions and which delight divers and sea explorers from around the world. Wreck diving popularity is increasing and more and more people wish to take part in this exhilarating activity. Here are some of the most famous wreck diving spots.
MS Mikhail Lermontov, New Zealand
A Soviet ocean line which sank near Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand in 1986, it is currently one of the biggest diveable wrecks in the world, and it's quite popular in the diving community. While entering the ship is possible, it is advisable doing it only with a guide familiar with the wreck.
MS Zenobia, Cyprus
Considered one of the world´s best spots for wreck diving, this Swedish ship (top) sank in 1979 of the coast of Cyprus and became a very popular attraction for divers who visit the country and presents different levels of difficulty for less experienced divers and for more advanced divers alike.
RMS Rhone, British Virgin Islands
A British ship (above) that sank off the coast of Salt Island during a hurricane in the late 19th century, nowadays another of the best diving sites in the world period is part of a national park, its remains home to countless fish, lobsters and crabs. The wreck also has a "lucky porthole", a brass porthole which remains intact and that divers rub for good luck.
Scapa Flow, United Kingdom
After the surrender of Germany in World War I, part of the German fleet was in the waters of Scapa Flow, in Scotland, Orkney Islands. In order for the ships not to fall into British hands, the fleet's admiral ordered all the ships to be sunk. And of course more ships sank in the area during World War II, German and British. So the site is great for scuba diving, since there aren't many other spots in the world where you can find so many ships in such close proximity. Two of them, the HMS Royal Oak and the HMS Vanguard, cannot be visited, since they are considered war graves and as such they are protected sites. However, there are many other sites of interest in the area.
USS Oriskany, Florida
Not all wreck diving sites result from accidental shipwrecks. Sometimes, when a ship is decommissioned, it is sunk in order to make a reef. That was the case with this battleship, nicknamed "the Mighty O," sunk in 2006 in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of the Florida panhandle. The Oriskany was named by The Times of London as one of the best wreck diving sites in the world, and is popularly known as the "Great Carrier Reef." It is currently also the largest vessel ever sunk to make a reef.
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