Gdańsk Bay & Gdynia · Poland · Wreck
Delfin
A former minesweeper sunk on purpose for diver training
The Delfin is a YMS-type minesweeper deliberately sunk in the Gulf of Gdańsk as a training wreck for military divers and navigators. It rests at about 20 m with no nets snagging the hull and no current. That combination makes it an ideal first wreck for newly certified divers.
Also known as ORP Delfin, Wrak Delfin.
Where it is and how deep
54.6478° N, 18.6031° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The highest parts of the Delfin rise to 12 m, and the minesweeper itself rests on the bottom at about 20 m, with the deepest point at 21 m. Free of fishing nets and currents, the hull can be explored at an easy pace. Its wooden hull is well preserved along with part of the metal superstructure, and it lists clearly to port. Divers can swim into the hold, look into the bridge and follow the corridor through the rooms of the hull to another exit. Round gobies, shorthorn sculpins and eelpouts live around the wreck, and with some luck cod turn up too.
The wreck
- Vessel
- ORP Delfin
- Type
- YMS-class minesweeper
- Length
- 42 m (138 ft)
- Cause
- Deliberately sunk as a training wreck for military divers and navigators
- Lies
- On the bottom of the Gulf of Gdańsk at about 20 m, clear of nets
The Delfin was a YMS-type warship built for clearing sea areas of mines with towed sweeps, and it served in the navy of the Polish People's Republic until 1957. It was then deliberately sunk in the Gulf of Gdańsk as a training wreck for military divers and navigators.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Gdańsk Bay & Gdynia: July and August bring the warmest water; January to March is painfully cold, down to about 2 °C in March.
Dive videos
Delfin - Hel 2009 · KonradDubiel on YouTube
Sources
- ORP Delfin – Gdynia Dive — Gdynia Dive
- Wraki Jastarnia – Delfin i Groźny — Gdynia Dive
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