Scuba Travel ambassador PA Andersson and a group of divers recently returned from Scotland. They were there to experience and dive on wrecks in Scapa Flow. One of the world's best destinations for wreck diving. He has written a travelogue which you can read below.
If you feel like experiencing the wrecks in Scapa Flow yourself, we have a group trip there with PA as ambassador. That trip will take place in October 2019. It was then 100 years since the high seas fleet was sunk, which means that the area is “celebrating” its 100th anniversary. Read more about the trip they took in 2017 here.
Scape Flow
"Scape Flow, nestled between the islands of Orkney in northern Scotland, is a wreck diver's paradise with extensive history from both World War I and World War II. For a week in May, a group of happy divers gathered at Arlanda to experience the wings of history together.
Scapa Flow is a natural harbor of great strategic importance. It was here that the German high seas fleet was gathered for internment at the end of World War I while peace was negotiated. On June 21, 1919, the British fleet left Scapa Flow and the Germans unguarded to go on an exercise in the open sea. German Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter took advantage of this opportunity and ordered by flag signal all German ships to be sunk by their crews.
A total of 52 ships were sunk out of the 72 that were interned. Today there are seven left which form the basis of wreck diving in Scapa. 3 Battleships – SMS König, SMS Markgraf, SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm 23 Cruisers SMS Cöln, SMS Dresden, SMS Karlsruhe 1 Minuteman SMS Brummer. All of the ships are well over 100m long and with their majestic guns, torpedoes, hulls and rudders they provide an unforgettable diving experience.
