Dive holidays where you scuba past fanciful fish, maybe a disinterested turtle, are all well and good. But there’s no greater start to a romping maritime yarn than a shipwreck – just ask Daniel Defoe, Robert Louis-Stevenson, Swift, Shakespeare, James Cameron…
Yes, a captain’s misfortune can be a dive enthusiast’s dream. We’ve gone deep and found some of the best dive sites in the world for exploring the most historic and dramatic ships that never reached port…’
Cornwall
THE EDUCATIONAL ONE
Charlestown Shipwreck Treasure Museum is on terra firma; but this engaging spot has been revamped by Sir Tim Smit – founder of the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan – over the past few years. He’s described the spot as a ‘walk through my romantic imagination’, so with him at the wheel, it lands smoothly. Highlights include artefacts retrieved from the wrecks of the Lusitania and the Titanic.
For IRL dives, there are around 3,000 wrecks off the Cornish coast (yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, indeed), and Charlestown, where Poldark is filmed, is known for its handsome tall ships. And, if you hear whispers of Cornish pirates, fear not – it’s just the local rugby team…
Where to stay in Cornwall
Fowey Hall lies close to Charlestown and is fabulously family- (and dog-) friendly. Those travelling with little landlubbers will find all the kit they need, and there’s plenty of joy for adults too in this Toad Hall-inspiring hideaway: Bramley spa treatments, fine Cornish eats and Camel Valley wines.
Greece
The old-school one
Off the coast of the tiny Aegean isle of Dokos lies the world’s oldest known shipwreck (as approved by the Guinness Book of Records), which has languished on the seabed for more than four millennia. It was first discovered in 1975, and although it’s cargo was a disappointingly mundane load of old crockery, and the actual ship has long since disintegrated, it’s well worth ducking under to see if you can spot any of the amphorae still lying around.
The island has a tiny population, numbering in the tens, most of which are monks, and its main land attraction is a petite lighthouse, but it’s a promising spot for wild hikes. The car-free neighbouring isles of Hydra (where songstrel Leonard Cohen owned a property) and Spetses are heavenly Hellenic spots for boat rides and coastal chilling.
Where to stay in Greece
On Hydra, Mandraki Beach Resort is tucked into a secluded bay; and on Spetses Yayaki offers familial hospitality (its name comes from the Greek word for ‘grandmother’ after all). Amanzoe is a 20-minute drive and short boat ride away from Dokos near Porto Heli. This Peloponnese hilltop showcases Aman’s famously slick service and sleek minimal look in alabaster stone within a paradisiacal setting, and adds a few Classical touches in its Parthenon-copycatting form and abundant columns. Oh, and more amphorae…
FIJI
THE STRANGELY ATTRACTIVE ONE
The wrecks off Fiji’s paradise islands have a distinct eerie beauty – shoals of barracuda flicker in and out, sea anemones sway in the current, crabs and shrimp settle within, and soft coral colourfully coats the skeletons of scuttled ships. The deliberately sunk SS Salamanda, beyond the Malolo Barrier Reef, makes for an atmospheric dive (for advanced divers). Another haunting and unique sight is a downed WW2 B26 Bomber from World War II off Beachcomber Island.
Underwater is where it’s at in Fiji – above ground most people are spending their ‘Fiji time’ depleting a swim-up bar or smoothing on suntan lotion. Go down at Bird Rock for giant moray eels and the famed Supermarket dive spot for shark sightings.
Where to stay in Fiji
Actually, there is some action overwater, especially at Likuliku Lagoon Resort, where you’ll find the only overwater bungalows in the country. The resort is adults-only, and for good reason: it’s as romantic as it is eco-friendly (and let’s just say, they’ve conserved a lot of turtles and coral…) When you’re not hanging out on your terrace or frolicking in the lagoon – just a ladder’s drop from your door – staff will do all they can to facilitate your dive dreams.
CAPE TOWN
THE SPOILT FOR CHOICE ONE
In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European mariner to successfully clear the Cape Peninsula. Presumably he was somewhat wobbly legged back on land, because he dubbed it the Cape of Storms. Later, in a savvier PR move, it was renamed the Cape of Good Hope. However, Dias was on to something, as more than 3,000 wrecks are scattered over the notoriously treacherous spot (and its where the mythic Flying Dutchman is cursed to bimble back and forth till Doomsday).
As such, it’s an enticing spot for wreck rubberneckers. Advanced divers can glimpse the SS Lusitania amid kelp forests and blasé marine life. For a full-penetration wreck (ahem) travel to Knysna Heads to rummage around in the Paquita, a century-old German barque. The sea life is especially vivid here, with acid-yellow Cape seahorses and lurid nudibranchs cavorting about Smitswinkel Bay, but fans of irony may want to paddle towards felled navy frigate SAS Good Hope.
Where to stay in Cape Town
To combine sandy bottoms with lush green stretches, stay a little inland at Grande Provence hotel in Franschhoek, a breathtaking wine estate with mountain views and a well-stocked cellar. To dive at Knysna Head, check in at former monastery the Old Rectory in Plettenberg Bay.
St Vincent & the Grenadines
The rich in reef one
Canouan means ‘island of turtles’, so you know you’re in top diving territory before you even don a wetsuit in this lesser-explored tropical spot in the Grenadines. Buffered by one of the world’s largest reefs – which bustles with stingrays, pufferfish, sea turtles, luridly hued angel and butterfly fish – it draws snorkel and dive enthusiasts like prey to an anglerfish (don’t worry, they live in colder waters). And many can be seen just a few feet down.
While Canouan’s offshore is more trippy coral gardens and shimmering shoals, from the Carenage Bay jetty you can dive down to the Purini Wreck. Sank in 1918, this former gun ship is now a peaceful pied-à-terre for marine life.
Where to stay in the Grenadines
Soho Beach House Canouan‘s cosmopolitan clubby mien gets a sandy edge here, with thatched pavilions, a prime seafront perch and the likes of conch fritters and barracuda pâté to munch on post-dive.
Cayman islands
The effortless one
Many wreck dives require a higher level of skill and aren’t for beginners, but on Grand Cayman, off Seven Mile Beach, the Kittiwake wreck rests on reef just 55-foot beneath the surface, so even snorkellers can come gawp at the biodiverse treasures housed within. The vessel has a notable history, rescuing submarines (including the deepest recorded mission), assisting in the launch of the Polaris missile, salvaging parts of the Challenger shuttle and rescuing Cuban refugees.
When decommissioned, the Kittiwake was cleaned to ocean-friendly standards and sent to the Cayman islands to enhance the already impressive diving there. It’s also proved popular with the locals and now houses a colourful crew of sponges, groupers, squirrelfish and urchins.
Where to stay in the Cayman islands
Palm Heights hotel is a 10-minute drive south from Seven Mile Beach having secured its own shorefront haven. Its sun-kissed colour scheme is just one of the joyous things about it – a Japanese-style spa dedicated to head soothing, quiz and pizza nights, chic Caribbean cocktails and more make breaks here extra bright.
CHINA
THE SORT-OF-CHEATING ONE
Around a 90-minute drive east from Chengdu, in a small town in Sichuan Province, there’s an enormous hull resting in a valley. What is this hull doing around 1,000 miles inland from the sea? Well, it’s the Romandisea Titanic whose fate has gone a similar way to the original as completion has now been delayed by years and has pretty much been abandoned. Perhaps the ambitious developer didn’t realise that even James Cameron only built half a ship for the film due to cost.
Unsurprisingly, it’s had its detractors, but it is a safer way to see a wreck of enormous proportions without ever getting up close with neoprene
Where to stay in Chengdu
The Temple House brings together old and new in central Chengdu, with restored Qing-dynasty buildings alongside sleek modern towers. Its looker of a bar has an accomplished cocktails list and a traditional tea house sets the scene for meditative ceremonies. And you can watch playful pandas in nearby Wolong National Park.
See our full collection of hotels for diving holidays
Featured image via Into the Blue Scuba Dive Centre