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The website is a guide for divers
Describing shipwrecks lying at the bottom of Gdańsk Bay and the Baltic Sea near the Hel Peninsula. This region has always been a very active shipping area. Maritime trade and military activities centered around the commercial and strategic centers of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Hel, Jastarnia, and Władysławowo caused increased traffic of vessels in this area, which is why it is a place of many maritime tragedies that took place in local waters. Storms, battles, and human errors have sent a number of ships, boats of all kinds, and aircraft to the bottom. This has created over 100 sunken objects, attractive to divers of all levels of proficiency and experience. Recreational divers can see wrecks such as ORP Wicher, K-18 Bryza, Groźny, and Delfin at depths of up to 20 meters. More advanced divers can dive to the Munin wreck, known as the Trałowiec (Trawler), the Malutka submarine, the KFK gunboat, or one of the youngest wrecks, the 153-meter-long Georg Buchner. These are diving sites at a depth of 30-40 meters. For technical divers, there are gems such as Franken, Beoelcke, M-85, Abilla, or U-boats U 272, U-670, U-768, U-367 OP Przełamany (Broken), and this is just the tip of the iceberg that is the cluster of wrecks in the Hel area.
The cold waters of the Baltic Sea and the absence of the naval shipworm, teredo navalis, which feeds on wood, create perfect conditions for the preservation of wooden wrecks. Thanks to such a favorable environment, wooden sailing ships from the 17th-19th centuries, such as the “Żaglowiec przy Helu” (Sailing Ship near Hel) or the “Holender” (Dutchman), are so well preserved in these waters. The steel hulls of newer vessels in cold water, where marine life does not thrive as abundantly as in exotic locations, do not lose their shape as a result of being overgrown with sea anemones and corals, as it is in warmer waters.
The wrecks in this part of the Baltic Sea are preserved in their original condition, just as they sank to the bottom, where they remain to this day. It is a place where every wreck diving enthusiast will find something interesting for them. The wrecks are monuments to world history, events such as the naval battle of Oliwa, the defense of the Polish coast against the Third Reich, the escape of the Nazi occupiers in Operation Hannibal, and many other stories that took place in this part of the Baltic Sea.
The wrecks are time capsules that you can see for yourself by diving in the waters surrounding Hel, or learn about their history and current appearance from our website if diving is not your cup of tea.
I invite you to read our articles and enjoy wreck diving in Hel – wreck diving enthusiast and scuba instructor Kamil Stankiewicz (Badyl).
