Malta & Gozo · Malta · Wreck
Le Polynesien
A 152 m passenger ship leaning to port in deep water
Photo: Reginestein · CC BY-SA 3.0
Le Polynesien is the wreck of a French passenger ship sunk by a submarine torpedo in 1918. She lies at a depth only technical divers can reach and is exposed to strong currents, so the dive is for experienced divers only.
Also known as SS Polynesien, Le Polynesian, Polynesien.
Where it is and how deep
35.8590° N, 14.6022° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The 152 m hull lies leaning to port at a 45-degree angle, with its highest point at 45 m and its deepest at 65 m. Even the shallowest part of the ship is beyond recreational reach, and strong currents can sweep across it.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Polynesien
- Type
- Passenger ship, later troop carrier
- Length
- 152 m (499 ft)
- Built
- 1890
- Sunk
- 1918
- Cause
- Torpedoed by the submarine SM UC-22
- Lies
- Leaning to port at a 45-degree angle, from 45 m to 65 m
Le Polynesien was a French passenger ship dating from 1890 that later served as a troop carrier. On 10 August 1918 she was sunk by a torpedo launched by the submarine SM UC-22, and her 152 m hull settled on its port side, where it now lies between 45 and 65 m.
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 | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Malta & Gozo: Jun–Sep is the main season, with the sea averaging 21–26 °C; it never drops below 14 °C, so diving carries on through the winter.
Dive videos
Malta Dive Sites - Le Polynesien · Mika Tanninen on YouTube
Sources
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Diving_in_Malta — en.wikivoyage.org
- www.padi.com/dive-site/malta/le-polynesian — www.padi.com
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Polynesien — en.wikipedia.org
- www.divessi.com/sp/blog/diving-the-le-polynesien-5196.html — www.divessi.com
Photo credits
- A technical diver with side-mounted tanks and a camera rig with two strobes swims over the broken, overgrown structure of a wreck in blue water. by Reginestein, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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