Hel Peninsula · Poland · Wreck

Bryza

A ship sunk for divers, its hull now crusted with barnacles and full of perch

The Bryza is a former Polish Navy cutter that was cleaned out and sunk off Hel in 2009 to serve as a recreational dive site. It sits upright on its keel within reach of new divers, and its hull has since filled with marine growth and small perch. Divers come for a Baltic wreck that is also used for drills and courses.

Also known as K-18 Bryza, Bryza (K-18).

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

54.6060° N, 18.7942° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The wreck lies on its keel with a slight list to starboard. Its shallowest point is the wheelhouse at 10 m, the depth over the bow is 14 m and the seabed behind the stern is 20 m, so the whole hull can be toured in one dive. The bow points toward a small beach and touches the edge of a sandy slope that climbs toward shallow water.

The interior equipment and decorations were stripped out before the sinking, which leaves the inside of the boat open to look into. Small perch have made the inside their home, the hull is covered in barnacles filtering the water, and commemorative medals made for the 15th anniversary of the sinking still turn up on board.

The wreck

Vessel: Bryza
Type: Navy cutter
Sunk: 2009
Cause: Prepared and deliberately sunk as a recreational dive site
Lies: Upright on its keel, listing slightly to starboard, from 10 to 22 m off Hel

The Bryza entered Polish Navy service on 10 January 1965 and carried crews and passengers from Hel to Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia until it retired in 2001. Hel's town officials bought it in April 2008, and it was chosen to become a recreational dive site for tourists. Over months of preparation the ship was cleaned of all its interior equipment and decorations, and the sinking was finally set for 19 August 2009. Within 2 years the remains had become home to many sea organisms, and medals were later made to mark the 15th anniversary of the sinking.