Cold Water · Poland
Hel Peninsula
Deep Baltic wrecks a short boat ride from Hel's fishing port
Hel is the town at the tip of the Hel Peninsula, the 35 km sand bar that separates the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic, and a year-round base for wreck diving. Boats leave the fishing port for the Bryza, sunk in 2009 as a recreational wreck, for the Abille tug and the Desantowiec off the port, and for the U-272 north of the town. Dives run from 10 m on the Bryza's wheelhouse to about 59 m on the Parowiec HEL. Divers come for a set of deep Baltic wrecks a short boat ride from the harbour.
About diving in Hel Peninsula
Dives at Hel are boat trips from the town's dive bases, one of them in the central part of the fishing port. Trips run from single dives on a short boat ride to full days at sea among the wrecks. The Abille lies 0.5 nautical miles southwest of the entrance to the fishing port, and the Desantowiec sits off the same port.
The Bryza lies on its keel with a slight list to starboard, its bow touching the edge of a sandy slope that rises toward a small beach. It was stripped of its interior equipment before sinking, and commemorative medals for its sinking still turn up on board. The Abille is heavily silted but free of loose nets; the windlass and a broken skylight that looks into the wreck sit on its foredeck at 40 m, and a mild current occasionally runs over the site.
The Bryza, with its shallowest point at 10 m, suits divers just beginning as well as seasoned ones and is used for drills and courses. The other named wrecks off Hel are deeper: the Abille's highest point, the roof of its wheelhouse, is at 36 m and the Desantowiec lies at 53 m. Air, nitrox, oxygen and trimix are blended and filled in the fishing port, where recreational and technical courses are also taught.
Best time to dive Hel Peninsula
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
January to March is the coldest stretch: the sea at Hel feels painfully cold and March averages about 2 °C, yet two of the town's bases stay open through it, as they do all year. In 2026 the season of wreck dives in the Bay of Puck and the Gulf of Gdańsk opened on 1 April. August is the warmest month, at about 19 °C. Summer also brings heavy boat traffic, which often breaks the Abille's downline at the surface.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Within 2 years of its sinking in 2009 the Bryza's hull was covered in barnacles filtering the sea water, and many small perch have made the inside of the boat their home.
- Wreck
Best dive sites in Hel Peninsula
- 1
Bryza
Ship sunk in August 2009 as a recreational wreck, lying at 10 to 22 m.
- 2
Abille
Tug about 38 m long, in one piece on a flat seabed at 49 m, 0.5 nm southwest of the port entrance.
- 3
Desantowiec
Small vessel at 53 m off the fishing port, with an opening bow and a small stern superstructure.
- 4
Parowiec HEL
Steamer near Hel's port, tucked behind the tip of the peninsula, with a well-preserved high bow and open bridge.
- 5
U-Boot 272
Type VIIC U-boat that sank north of Hel on 12 November 1942 after colliding with U-634 in training.
Site guides
Wreck
An intact tug with a windlass and a skylight that looks into the hull
Wreck
A ship sunk for divers, its hull now crusted with barnacles and full of perch
Wreck
A small vessel off Hel's port, with an opening bow and a small stern superstructure
Wreck
A steamer with a tall, well-kept bow tucked behind the tip of Hel
Wreck
A Type VIIC U-boat lost in a training collision with U-634
How to get to Hel Peninsula
The international airport is Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa. A train line runs straight from Gdynia to Hel station, and Żegluga Gdańska ferries connect Hel with Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia. The dive bases are in the town of Hel, one in its fishing port.
Photos from Hel Peninsula
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Baltic Sea 2016 · Nurkowanie Jolly Diver on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Which wrecks at Hel suit newer divers?+
The Bryza, between 10 and 22 m, suits divers just beginning and is used for drills and courses. The Abille starts at 36 m and the Desantowiec lies at 53 m, and trimix is filled in the port for the deeper wrecks.
Can Hel be dived in winter?+
Yes. Two bases in Hel are open all year, though from January to March the sea feels painfully cold, about 2 °C in March.
How do divers get to Hel?+
Fly to Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, then take the train that runs straight from Gdynia to Hel, or a Żegluga Gdańska ferry from Gdańsk, Sopot or Gdynia.
Does the Abille have a fixed line to the wreck?+
A permanent downline runs to the wheelhouse roof at 36 m, but in summer heavy boat traffic often breaks it at the surface.
Sources
- Diving Baltic — Diving Baltic
- Dive Land diving base — Dive Land Foundation
- Baza Nurkowa Hel — Baza Nurkowa Hel
- Bryza — Dive Land Foundation
- Abille — Dive Land Foundation
- Baltic wreck map — Diving Baltic
- Hel Peninsula — Wikipedia
- Hel — Wikivoyage
- Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport — Wikipedia
- Hel average sea temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
Photo credits
- Rows of concrete tetrapods line a breakwater running out into calm grey sea beside a sandy shore, with a pier and lamp posts behind by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Embed
Run a dive centre, club or blog? Embed this map of 10 dive sites near Hel Peninsula on your own page.
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