Kornati Islands · Croatia · Wreck
Stuka (Wreck)
An almost undamaged Ju 87 sitting upright at 25 to 27 m
Area photo: ANDREJ NEUHERZ · CC BY-SA 3.0
A Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, the two-man German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft, lying almost undamaged and upright at 25 to 27 m. The wreck is under protection and Najada Diving holds the licence to dive it. It is a compact, single-object dive 13 nautical miles out from Murter, rated by the operator for all levels.
Also known as Junkers Ju 87 wreck.
Where it is and how deep
43.6548° N, 15.6344° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The aircraft sits at 25 to 27 m, upright and almost undamaged, so the descent puts you onto a recognisable Ju 87 rather than a debris field. It was a two-man machine, pilot and rear gunner, and the airframe is small enough to take in slowly rather than swim past. Depth, not distance, is what sets the limit on the dive.
Because the wreck is protected and only one licensed operator works it, the dive is a look rather than a rummage: nothing is moved and nothing is taken. At 25 to 27 m the no-stop clock is short even though the operator rates the site for all levels, so the plan is made before the descent rather than on the bottom. Scorpionfish are by far the most logged animal on the airframe, with octopus, wrasse and spiny lobster behind them.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka"
- Type
- German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft
- Cause
- Loss circumstances not published
- Lies
- Almost undamaged and upright on the bottom at 25 to 27 m
The Junkers Ju 87, or Stuka, from Sturzkampfflugzeug, meaning dive bomber, was a two-man German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft flown with a pilot and a rear gunner. This one came to rest almost undamaged and upright at 25 to 27 m, and no date or circumstance of its loss is published. The wreck is under protection today, with Najada Diving holding the licence to dive it.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Kornati Islands: The park licenses diving Apr–Oct, warmest Jul–Sep; the bura wind closes the exposed outer walls at short notice.
Know before you go
- At 25 to 27 m no-stop time is short and the wreck is small, so plan the circuit before you descend rather than exploring on the clock.
- The wreck is legally protected: nothing may be taken or moved, and diving it without the licensed operator is not permitted.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Stuka wreck in Croatia?+
The aircraft lies upright at 25 to 27 m, almost undamaged. That is Advanced depth for most agencies, though the operator rates the dive for all levels.
Can anyone dive the Stuka wreck?+
No. The wreck is under protection and Najada Diving holds the licence to dive it, so the dive has to be booked through that operator. It sits 13 nautical miles out from Murter.
Sources
- Stuka (Wreck) dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Kornati Islands
Red gorgonian colonies on the seabed instead of the wall
A terrace at 26 m packed with red fan corals and sponges
Reef
Uninhabited islet on the park's authorised diving list
Wall
A step at 30 m falling to a fan-coral plateau at 45 m
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Yellow gorgonians on one face of the wall, red on the other
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Beginner platform above a gorgonian drop-off starting at 30 m
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Gorgonians in several colours at 35 m below a cup-coral slope
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A small sponge-lined cavern at 22 m off the lighthouse islet
Similar dives elsewhere
A wartime Flying Fortress upright on clean sand at 25–28 m
A coal carrier on a slope from a 13 m plateau to about 27 m
A Luftwaffe He 111 bomber at 30 m, with a resident conger named Sam
A WWII bomber engine standing alone in the sand at 27 m