The Amasis is a 133.6 m German cargo and passenger steamer, torpedoed off the Bohuslän coast on 9 April 1940 and now lying at just under 50 m at her deepest, with the dive itself working between 35 and 44 m. She is one of the two headline wreck dives on this coast, and far more ship than one bottom time covers.
Also known as Amasis.
Where it is and how deep
58.2393° N, 11.2630° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Everything about this dive is set by the numbers. The listing puts the working depth at 35 to 44 m and the wreck at just under 50 m at her deepest, which means a short bottom time and a long ascent. At 133.6 m long she is far more ship than one bottom time covers, so the plan is a section worked properly rather than a lap of the whole hull.
From above the superstructure you can drop into the huge engine room, where the enormous steam turbine still stands. From the walkway a starboard opening leads into the dining saloon, its table pillars still standing in rows. Further aft are the captain's cabin, where the bathtub has been taken over by crabs, and the reserve steering gear in the stern.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Amasis
- Type
- Cargo and passenger steamship
- Length
- 133.6 m (438 ft)
- Built
- 1923
- Sunk
- 1940
- Cause
- Torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Sunfish
- Lies
- At just under 50 m at her deepest, with the dive working between 35 and 44 m
At 16:00 on 9 April 1940 the British submarine HMS Sunfish, under Lt Cdr J. E. Slaughter, lay off the Bohuslän skerry Tova under orders to sink shipping supplying the German invasion of Norway. Two torpedoes were fired; the first missed, the second hit amidships. The crew and the Swedish pilot Karl Gyllholm got off safely. Because she had gone down in Swedish water with a Swedish pilot aboard, the ship's real cargo was never to be disclosed, and the coal she officially carried covered what was actually under her decks.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Bohuslän & Gullmarsfjord: Late winter gives the clearest water once the plankton dies back; Jul–Sep is warmest and easiest for shore entries.
Know before you go
- The working depth is 35 to 44 m and the wreck reaches just under 50 m: this is decompression diving, so gas planning and a hard turn time matter more than covering ground.
Dive videos
Wreckdiving S/S Amasis 2021 06 19 · Sebastian Svensson on YouTube
Trimix wreck CCR dive on Amasis may 2021 · Leo Kjellström on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the S/S Amasis?+
The dive works between 35 and 44 m, and the listing puts the wreck at just under 50 m at her deepest. That puts every part of the dive outside no-decompression limits.
Can you shore dive the Amasis?+
No. A boat is required for this site; there is no shore entry near the wreck, so it is dived from a charter.
Sources
- S/S Amasis dykplats — dykarna.nu
In The Logbook
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
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