Primošten & Rogoznica · Croatia · Wreck
Airplane
A shot-down jet fighter scattered over 50 by 50 m at 19 m
Area photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Airplane is the wreck of a military jet fighter that was shot down, its parts scattered over an area of 50 by 50 m at a maximum depth of 19 m. Which aircraft it was depends on who you ask: Pongo, which calls the site Mig dive, describes a Galeb hit by an anti-aircraft rocket in 1992, while Deep Blue Diving lists the same wreck as the Jastreb.
Also known as Jastreb airplane wreck, Mig Dive.
Where it is and how deep
43.5116° N, 15.9581° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
There is no hull to follow here, only a debris field. The aircraft broke up and its parts lie across an area of about 50 by 50 m at a maximum depth of 19 m, so the dive is a search across that ground, moving from piece to piece. Pongo, which gives the depth as 18 m, says the tail section still carries its flag and points out the jet engine, two air-to-land missile ramps and the landing gear with its wheels.
The three centres tell the story differently. The catalogue says only that a military jet fighter was shot down here; Pongo dates the aircraft to 1992, calls it a Galeb flown by the Yugoslav army and says it was hit by a rocket from an anti-aircraft battery on the coast between Rogoznica and Primošten; Deep Blue Diving lists it as a Jastreb. What is on the bottom is not in dispute: flatfish on the sand between the parts, grouper and octopus using the larger pieces, and a conger eel that lives in one of the missile launchers.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Military jet fighter
- Type
- Jet fighter aircraft, type disputed between operators
- Cause
- Shot down; the operator that dives it says by an anti-aircraft rocket in 1992
- Lies
- Broken up, parts scattered over about 50 by 50 m at 19 m
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Primošten & Rogoznica: The swimming season runs June to October; Pongo prices a low season as well, so winter diving happens at around 12–15 °C.
Know before you go
- The greater weever, which the catalogue calls the most poisonous fish in the Adriatic, lies on the sand here. It is not aggressive and is no danger untouched, so keep off the bottom.
- The airframe is aluminium and Pongo's warning is that the torn edges are sharp, so handling the wreckage is how divers get cut here.
Sources
- Airplane — Scubago
- Best Dives in Croatia (Mig Dive) — Diving Center Pongo
- Deep Blue Diving site list (Jastreb) — Deep Blue Diving
- MIG dive — Diving Center Pongo
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