sunk on purpose....no appeal?

[D_B]

Descriptions like the above by RJP are reasons for me to want the training to do some form of wreck penetration ... because when I'm dreaming of dive destinations that I would someday like to visit, Truk is one

We have some nice purpose sunk ships here in whats called Wreck Alley , it's only a few minutes off shore .. I remember the RubyE as a parade float, all covered with strawberry anemones ... the Yukon is a 366ft destroyer that was sunk by accident while being towed to sink it on purpose, wonder what category that puts it .. it's laying on it's side, I can remember my first dive to it, the "bottom" coming up and me thinking I've somehow missed it, then the railing slowly materializing and I'm going Holy Cow its big! thats the side of the hull!

I've dived the Baja California shipwreck that wassunk by a U-Boat in the Dry Tortugas .. It was fantastic to think about the history and to be diving it.
I think that both have an apeal and for differing reasons

 

[Guy Alcala]

So I was reading the post about the best shipwrecks below, and some seem like really cool dives but, the ones that were sunk on purpose don't really have any appeal to me. I don't know how to explain it but I have absolutly no desire to dive on artifical reef type ships. I'm not knocking those that do like it, but it seems a little to amusement parkish to me. Something about the sinking, accident, or what ever put it on the bottom is part of the appeal. To me the history that make a wreck a dive site is fascinating. Does anyone else feel like this?

Yes. To me, the artificial reefs may serve as training sites for wreck penetration, but they lack the interest that a real wreck has. Deliberately sunk reefs that have been diverized have removed the human clutter that makes a wreck interesting, and the lack of any catastrophic cause for their sinking further decreases my interest. But there is a gray area; I'd definitely like to dive Bikini, because those more or less deliberately sunk ships have both history and uncontrolled damage going for them. Scapa Flow also falls into that category. Otherwise I'm with you; diverized artificial reefs are too Disneyesque for me. For those who're primarily interested in the sealife that's growing on them, it would be a different story.

Guy

 

[SDE Dennis]

Yes. To me, the artificial reefs may serve as training sites for wreck penetration, but they lack the interest that a real wreck has. Deliberately sunk reefs that have been diverized have removed the human clutter that makes a wreck interesting, and the lack of any catastrophic cause for their sinking further decreases my interest. But there is a gray area; I'd definitely like to dive Bikini, because those more or less deliberately sunk ships have both history and uncontrolled damage going for them. Scapa Flow also falls into that category. Otherwise I'm with you; diverized artificial reefs are too Disneyesque for me. For those who're primarily interested in the sealife that's growing on them, it would be a different story.

Guy

Very well stated, I do agree about human clutter making a wreck more interesting. For me diving a wreck is about the mystery, and sea life can also add mystery. So although a "real wreck" is more interesting in one way diving on an artificial reef that has been down a while still has a large draw for me.

 

[Rhone Man]

So I was reading the post about the best shipwrecks below, and some seem like really cool dives but, the ones that were sunk on purpose don't really have any appeal to me.

Don't be so quick to judge. The German fleet at Scapa Flow was deliberately scuttled, but is arguably the finest collection of wrecks outside Chuuk Lagoon and Bikini Atol. There are plenty of people who believe that the Zenobia in Cyprus was deliberately sunk as part of an insurance fiddle; if that is ever proved to be true, I am sure it will remain one of the finest wreck dives in the world. The Bianca C is a world reknown wreck dive despite being deliberately sunk.

A "real" wreck may (and it really is "may", many don't) have poignancy and sense of history; but it doesn't make it a great dive. It is the truly outstanding wreck dives that have it all.

 

[kanonfodr]

I've never done a "real" wreck dive, only artificial reefs but the appeal of knowing the ship's fate, or even better discovering it, is undeniable. Also, real wrecks are not going to last forever, and neither will the artificial ones.

One of the more popular artificial reefs, the MS Mahi, has been slowly falling in on itself for the last few years. The main hold is now just a jumble of metal and junk, whereas before it used to be a popular swim-through. Same for the control room.

Ultimately I like them both, but I would prefer one that hasn't been sanitized for diving. I'm not ready for technical penetrations yet, but that is my ultimate goal. Just looking in from the outside isn't quite my style.

Oh yes, and TSandM, I'm with you on the sea life angle. They do tend to collect an interesting variety of marine life and make for some great pictures as well.

Peace,
Greg

 

[jamiemac]

So I was reading the post about the best shipwrecks below, and some seem like really cool dives but, the ones that were sunk on purpose don't really have any appeal to me. I don't know how to explain it but I have absolutly no desire to dive on artifical reef type ships. I'm not knocking those that do like it, but it seems a little to amusement parkish to me. Something about the sinking, accident, or what ever put it on the bottom is part of the appeal. To me the history that make a wreck a dive site is fascinating. Does anyone else feel like this?

Yes, I feel just as you do.

 

[RJP]

So I was reading the post about the best shipwrecks below, and some seem like really cool dives but, the ones that were sunk on purpose don't really have any appeal to me. I

PS - All my favorite wrecks in Truk were most assuredly sunk on purpose!

 

[BobbyB]

Like most on the Site I prefer to dive the " REAL " wrecks. However, those are a little hard to come by around South Florida. I have dove most of the usual wrecks from Pompono to Key Largo plus the " Bayronto " and some smaller wrecks on the West Coast. I have enjoyed everyone of them and will keep diving as many wrecks as I can, "Real" or not.

 

[electric_diver]

I agree with everything that RJP said about Truk.

Artificial reefs tend to be too sanitized by the paranoid. They cut out all the interesting bits in the name of "safety". This makes them much less interesting and challenging dives than real shipwrecks. Artificial reefs are far too often empty rooms connected by empty corridors with big holes cut in them at a regular basis. This makes them very boring dive sites. You can do a few dives on an artificial reef, but very quickly you find you have seen everything worth seeing.

 

[idocsteve]

Generally speaking, at least in the areas I have dived, the "real" wrecks are so old, they're collapsing on themselves, most are nothing but scattered pieces of nonrecognizable chunks of wood and steel...although there are still a handful of relatively intact wrecks...but those are a bit of a ride.

The wrecks sunk on purpose...are intact, usually upright so easy to navigate within, they've got that "creepiness" factor because there are dark interior holds, and passageways, and hatches where you can swim in and around...never knowing what's around the corner or just outside the range of your dive light...it's lots of fun to experience the "feel of flying" as you go up, around, over, and through...and of course these wrecks attract a huge variety of fish life.

For me, just about any wreck, "real" or "fake", beats a reef dive.