Vis, the area around B-17

Vis · Croatia · Wreck

B-17

Airframe on sand at 65 to 72 m, visibility to 40 m

Area photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0

A B-17 on the sand off Vis, lying between 65 and 72 metres with the airframe pointing north. It is well past recreational depth and dived only by technical teams off a boat, but conditions down there work in their favour: minimal to no current, and visibility reported up to 40 metres.

Also known as B-17 Wreck.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of B-17: typical dive 65–72 m (213–236 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit65 m72 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 90 m (295 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

43.0164° N, 16.2173° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

This is a technical dive and it is planned as one. The wreck rests on a sandy bottom pointing north, with a minimum depth of 65 metres and a maximum of 72, which is past every recreational qualification and puts the ascent, rather than the wreck, at the centre of the plan. Gas and the decompression schedule are agreed on the boat before anyone leaves the surface.

Conditions at the site work in the divers' favour. Current is reported as minimal to none, and visibility runs up to 40 metres, so the airframe resolves out of the blue at a distance instead of appearing at arm's length. The trade is the sand it sits on: in water that still, anything a fin stirs up stays exactly where it was put, so the team that swims tidily gets the better look at the wreck.

The wreck

Vessel
B-17
Type
Aircraft wreck
Cause
Not recorded in the published sources
Lies
On a sandy bottom, pointing north, at 65 to 72 m

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for B-17
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Off-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodOff-seasonOff-season

Season follows Vis: Dive season runs mid-April to mid-October; Jun–Sep gives the warmest water, near 24°C, and calmest conditions for the wreck sites.

Know before you go

  • At 65 to 72 m this is a decompression dive on mix, with narcosis, gas planning and a staged ascent governing everything else about it.
  • Minimal current means silt lifted off the sandy bottom hangs where it is disturbed and closes the visibility down for the rest of the team.

Sources

  1. B-17 (Wreck) - Scubago — Scubago

In The Logbook

More dive sites in Vis

Wreck

B-24 Liberator

Hull and wings at 40 m, tail 100 m away at 52 m

to 40 m · max 52 madvanced

Wall

Gaće

A cavern shaped like a three-aisled building

10–25 mintermediate

Cave & cavern

Green Cave

Daylight on a green stone, at 10 m and 30 m

10–30 mintermediate

Reef

Krava

Ancient amphorae scattered between 14 and 37 m

to 37 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Outer Pinnacle

Plateau at 6 m, then a vertical wall past 50 m

6–50 madvanced

Wall

Ploce

A 70 m long cavern starting at 28 m

to 28 mintermediate

Cave & cavern

Pokemon Cave

A 50 m swim-through with an air pocket at the end

to 18 madvanced

Wall

Punta od Covika

A hump peaking at 45 m, 50 m off the cape

to 50 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Wreck

Bouvet

Gallipoli · Turkey

A battleship lost on 18 March 1915, upside down at 68 m

to 68 madvanced

Wreck

HMS Irresistible

Gallipoli · Turkey

A mined 1898 battleship at 65 m, technical divers only

to 65 madvanced

Wreck

HMS Triumph

Gallipoli · Turkey

A 1903 battleship at 73 m, torpedoed off Gaba Tepe by U-21

to 73 madvanced

Wreck

SMS Szent István

Premuda · Croatia

An Austro-Hungarian dreadnought, inverted at 66 m

to 66 madvanced