Which famous shipwrecks can I visit via a yacht charter? 

USS KITTIWAKE, GRAND CAYMAN, CARIBBEAN SEA 

Lying in shallow waters just off the coast of Grand Cayman, the Kittiwake is one of the most popular wreck dives in the Caribbean. This submarine rescue vessel was launched in 1945 and spent 49 years in service as a dive vessel before being decommissioned in 1994. After lying abandoned for eight years, Kittiwake was donated to the Cayman Islands to be sunk and used as an artificial reef. Unlike other wrecks, before being sunk Kittiwake was made more dive friendly, with large holes cut into the hull and doors, and other obstructions removed while she was also being prepared to environmental standards for sinking. Kittiwake eventually came to her final resting place in 2011 and can be discovered beneath the waves off Grand Cayman.  

Where is the Kittiwake shipwreck? 

Lying just 700m off Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, Kittiwake’s convenient location attracts scuba divers as well as snorkelers and free divers to the iconic shipwreck. The wreck sits at 18m maximum depth, with the highest point just under 5m beneath the surface. Visibility is upwards of 30m in these waters, with water temperatures ranging from 21°C in the winter months and up to 30°C in the summer.  

Is Kittiwake a good dive site? 

Kittiwake sits in shallow water, allowing divers of all abilities to take in her many highlights, including the mess hall, huge propellors and iconic wheelhouse. Open-water divers are limited to the first three decks, while wreck or rescue divers can explore all five decks. The marine life includes everything from Barracuda to turtles and grouper, while the artificial reef is covered in macro life such as arrowhead crabs and shrimp. Suitable for divers of all levels.  

HMHS BRITANNIC, CYCLADES, GREECE  

Everyone has heard of the ill-fated Titanic and the thousands of passengers and crew she took down when she hit an iceberg in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. However, not many know about her two sister ships, the second of which was the lesser-known Britannic. Practically identical to the Titanic in construction, and considered unsinkable, the 268m Britannic launched in 1914, but sadly was never actually used as a commercial trans-Atlantic liner. Requisitioned by the Royal Navy for the war effort in 1939, HMHS Britannic completed five successful missions as a hospital ship before taking her last voyage. While cruising to the Middle East to collect wounded British soldiers she hit an underwater mine and immediately sank to the bottom of the Aegean Sea. Fortunately, unlike the Titanic, of the 1,066 passengers on board her at the time, just 30 died. She was the largest vessel lost during the First World War.  

Discovered by explorer Jacques Cousteau in 1975, Britannic is a heavily protected dive site and has been classified as a British war grave. This, added to the fact that she is somewhat out of reach, means that she has only been visited by a few experienced technical divers (approximately 100).  

Where is the Britannic shipwreck?  

Britannic lies three nautical miles off the Greek island of Kea. Listed on one side and largely intact, she is an exciting dive for experienced technical divers.  

How deep is the Britannic underwater? 

At over 100m in depth, the Britannic is too deep for most recreational scuba divers to reach. Experienced technical divers can reach and explore the wreck, keeping in mind that it can take many months of preparation and permissions to access the dive site.  Added to this, the unpredictable currents in the waters where she lies can be very dangerous. However, if you are an experienced enough diver and manage to get permission, then the Britannic is one of the most spectacular wreck dives in the world and remains relatively unexplored. Suitable for experienced technical divers only. 

OKIKAWA MARU, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES  

Known for its rich and biodiverse waters, the Philippines is often referred to as the Amazon of the Sea. Part of The Coral Triangle, this marine area in the Pacific Ocean is home to some truly incredible dive sites including coral reefs, the UNESCO Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, and the World War II shipwrecks in Palawan. The latter are a gallery of underwater museums that transport divers to the Second World War. In 1944 the US Navy conducted a surprise aerial attack on a Japanese supply fleet of up to 24 ships at anchor in Coron Palawan, an archipelago of islands lying to the southwest of the Philippines. The air strike lasted less than an hour and left in its wake a massacre of burning and sinking ships, now known as the Coron or Palawan shipwrecks. Eleven are within recreational scuba diving depths of between 25m and 40m and remain in great condition with a variety of both marine life and historic relics.  

The biggest among the wrecks here is the Okikawa Maru, a navy oil tanker of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet. Lying at a depth of between 12m and 26m, she is an excellent dive for both beginners and expert divers alike. The wreck is overgrown with stunning corals where a wide range or marine life can be viewed, including schools of batfish, snappers, and fusiliers.  

Where is the Okikawa Maru shipwreck?  

The Okikawa Maru dive site lies off Busuanga Island, two miles south of the Philippines village of Conception near Coron Bay.  

How deep is the Okikawa Maru shipwreck?

At 168m long, the wreck of Okikawa Maru sits almost level at a maximum depth of 26m, with the main deck at around 12m. Visibility conditions vary, while the fierce currents here can also present challenging diving conditions. Advanced wreck divers can penetrate up to the propeller shaft and through the very large oil storage tanks all the way into the engine room. Suitable for divers of all levels.