Dives with Baltictec on shallow wrecks off the coast of Leba - gallery

From 29 September to 1 October the Baltictech group organised dives combined with exploration and research of shallow wrecks off the coast of Łeba. This was the first of a series of three meetings planned for this year, which at the same time is the recruitment route to the Baltictech group.

Like every well-organised team with considerable seniority and a backpack of experience, Baltictech also has its habits and worked out routines. The Baltic winds blowing in recent years have made the group’s base in Łeba. It is here that the Enduro vessel is moored, with which the team sets off on many of their dives throughout the year. We also set off from here for our dives with Baltictec.

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Speaking of Enduro Speaking of which, this is a catamaran measuring 12 metres long and 5 metres wide. The vessel develops a speed of 28 knots and has been well equipped to meet the needs of divers who search for and explore wrecks. Enduro’s autonomy is about a week, so in real Baltic Sea time, which should be sufficient for most projects.

Apart from the equipment, which is used by the Baltictech group to search for new wrecks and scan the seabed, the diving facilities are certainly worth mentioning. Thus, we have benches for changing, places for stage cylinders, and the back side, which is equipped with a ladder for easier exit from the water. In short, do not die and dive as much as you can.

Start

Our day began with a meeting at a common breakfast in the hotel Sailor, which is located about 3 minutes from where the moored Enduro is waiting. On site, in addition to divers from the Tri-City there were also representatives from Warsaw and Wroclaw. So first the formalities, and then the pleasure and diving. After getting acquainted with all the participants of our little expedition and discussing the plan for the day, we head to the marina. Here everyone repacks their gear onto the boat and then we have a short discussion about the tasks we have to do today.

The plan is simple and assumes checking shallow and less known wrecks in the Łeba area. The weather these days is specific and does not allow us to go further into the Baltic, but favours exploration of the coastal zone.

Diving

The first item on our list is a steamer that rests at a depth of about 14 metres. Visibility is rather poor, but the wreck itself makes a great impression. The 71-metre-long vessel with a huge screw and steam boilers protruding amidships is an attractive and worthwhile object for any diver. Especially for a diver-photographer. We went around the wreck and created a small photographic documentation, which hopefully will help in the later identification of the vessel.

We take a small break and swim to the next position. This time a second team of divers went underwater. Unfortunately, in this case the visibility is so bad that the guys do not manage to find the wreck. Despite this, the mood is good and the failure does not have much of an impact on the atmosphere on the boat.

Target number three is a very shallow wreck vis-à-vis the beach in Łeba. The depth at this position is only 2 metres. The obstacle, however, turned out to be the weather, which did not allow us to approach or even come close to the position. Although Enduro ‘s draught is only one metre, there is too much damage to the boat when there is a big wave and the depth drops to 1.6 metres at times. We made the decision to let this position go for a while and make another attempt the following day.

We change course and sail to the next place. This time an unidentified wreck awaits us underwater near the harbour exit. The depth at this point is 10 metres and the wreck itself on the sonar shows as a huge lump of steel. The dive team jumps into the water and, despite the average visibility, tries to complete the task. The wreck being surveyed is a dredger and, as is unfortunately often the case, it lies upside down. The huge steel floats are very impressive. But there is no time to lose. So we circumnavigate the wreck, take pictures and leave, because the next position is waiting for us.

On board we learn that our skipper Darek knows the story of a dredger that sank in the area after 2000. Everything indicates that the wreck we have been investigating is this vessel.

The Baltic Sea…

Unfortunately, the weather is starting to break, and the Baltic Sea is once again showing that it is an extremely capricious and changeable body of water. Especially at this time of year, the situation can change dramatically from hour to hour. We don’t think about it for long and decide that today is the last day. So we say goodbye to the Baltic, go back to the harbour and clarify the equipment.

After mooring in the harbour, everyone on the trip gathers their gear and then we take a moment to get the Enduro in order. When everyone is ready, we gather at the hotel for dinner and a summary of the day. It’s a shame that we didn’t manage to fulfil more of our plans, but that’s the way it is on the Baltic Sea. We said goodbye to our friends from Wrocław, who had to go back home. We spent the evening talking about wrecks and diving plans for the next day.

Diving, exploring and researching the shallow wrecks of Łeba, was the first of three planned meetings. Ihe guiding principle of the projectis to find people who can join the Baltictech group on a permanent basis in the future. However, I must point out that diving skills are not the primary criterion. Above all, the group is looking for passionate people who already have some experience and unique abilities in other fields, and who want to develop themselves in diving.

Further joint dives with Baltictec are planned for October and November 2021. However, everything is dependent on the weather. We will keep you informed about the specific dates on our website.