Being a diver can be fascinating – aside from witnessing marine life in action, you also get to see all the interesting things that have been abandoned underwater. Of course, shipwrecks are a common find.
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But what about other forms of transformation like cars, planes, motorbikes, and many more? These are just some of the interesting finds that divers have discovered in their adventure. Here, we gather some of the most fascinating vehicles that have been found underwater.
A crooked plane crash
Off the shore of Crete, you can find the remains of a Messerschmitt BF 109 fighter plane from World War II. It was believed that this aircraft was part of the German Luftwaffe fighter force. To date, it is still a mystery what happened to the pilots or how the plane crashed.
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What made the wreck unique was the fact that the plane had landed upside down and in a crooked manner. Being submerged for more than 80 years, the plane has changed its position over time and can now be seen on its back.
Vintage subway cars
Did you know that there are over 2500 vintage Redbird subway cars spread out on the ocean floor of the USA’s East Coast? The vintage subway cars came from New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This was a project that went on from 2001 to 2010.
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But before you think that they were using the ocean as a disposal system, this was actually done on purpose to promote more sea life in the area. The subway cars serve as artificial reefs that corral and other sea life can live in. They are a fascinating site for divers. If you want to go on a unique dive, try the East Coast next time!
The Toyota graveyard
In Sudan, Africa, the Red Sea holds a graveyard of Toyota cars, which is known as the Blue Belt Shipwreck. In 1977, a cargo ship was transferring 181 Toyota cars when it ran aground in the Sha’b Suadi Reef.
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The Blue Belt Shipwreck has become a popular diving spot. Over the years, most of the cars are decayed already. Some still have their engines, fenders, and steering wheels intact.
A lake of vehicles
In Pennsylvania, the Dutch Springs is known to be a popular diving site. Aside from the numerous varieties of fish species that you can find there, the lake is home to multiple out-of-commission vehicles.
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It turned out that Dutch Springs used to be a dumping ground for these vehicles before it turned into a diving spot in 1980. The vehicles have helped marine life thrive in the lake as artificial reefs and divers can have fun swimming inside the buses!
The yacht in ice
In the waters of Antarctica, a frozen yacht can be found in the water. The yacht had the name Mar Sem Fim (Endless Sea in English). The yacht was owned by João Lara Mesquita, a Brazilian entrepreneur, and journalist. The sinking happened when Mesquita and his crew were filming a documentary about Antarctica in 2012.
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The yacht had overturned when they were caught in sudden bad weather. The chilling waters turned to ice before the ship could be saved. Thankfully, the crew was rescued in time, or else they would have been frozen too. It took a whole year before they were able to retrieve the yacht but the damages were too bad to be repaired by then.
The last of its kind
In Vis, Croatia, an American B24 Liberator, known as the “Tulsamerican” lies 128 feet below the surface. The aircraft had gone through a lot of updates throughout WWII and was said to crash-landed in the ocean because it ran out of fuel in 1945.
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According to the serial number of the aircraft, this is the last B24 that was ever produced. So for those who want to get their hands on the last B24 heavy bomber from WWII, you will have to find ways to dive over a hundred feet to retrieve this large relic.
Sunken tourist bus
In the Wye River of the Wales-England border, you can find the Day house Quarry (also known as the Chepstow Quarry). The river has a lot of sunken vehicles that have been sitting there for decades.
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You can find a helicopter, tank, commercial truck, and a double-decker British tour bus like this one. The vehicles were sunk on purpose to create a training ground for divers and it is still being used to this day. Casual divers also frequent the place to take interesting underwater photos.
A giant military plane
On the coast of Aqaba, Jordan, you can find a sunken Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane. The huge military plane was a four-engine transport craft that had been used to transport cargo and passengers over long distances since the 1950s.
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In 2017, the Jordanian Air Force decided to let the ocean become its final resting place so that it could serve as a giant artificial reef. The aircraft wreck has drawn divers from all over the world. Who would not want to explore the inside of such a huge plane?
Luxury car underwater
This 1970 Mustang has found its way to the bottom of the ocean and transformed into an artificial reef. Some parts of the luxury car were removed like the tires and lights before it was dumped in the ocean.
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You can tell that the Mustang used to be a bright red. The color seems to have attracted a lot of fish around it and by the number of corals and seaweeds growing near it, there is no doubt that a lot of sea creatures found the Mustang as a great home.
WWII Corsair crash
In O’ahu, Hawaii, you can find a crashed Vought F4U Corsair in the waters. The carrier-based fighter aircraft has become an artificial reef that serves as home to a lot of local fish species. It is a famous diving spot to check out.
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The WWII fighter aircraft crashed in 1948 when the pilot was doing a routine mission. He was, fortunately, able to do a water landing and was rescued but the plane sank to the ocean floor.
Sunken school bus
In Baldwin County, Alabama, a school bus can be found underwater. Fortunately, this was not a result of an accident that had school kids involved. The old bus is actually there for a reason.
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It turned out that the school bus is in the ocean as part of a training exercise for bus drivers and emergency responders. There, they get to practice and review safety protocols in case of accidents.
A Volkswagen classic
In Fjord, Norway, the locals dumped their problematic vehicles in the water. It was a common practice because it actually cost less to get a new car instead of having an old one repaired in the area. In 1973, it was found that someone had dumped a 1957 Volkswagen 23 window bus in the lake.
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The Volkswagen bus had been a favorite spot for divers in the area. However, in 2009, Morten Lunt had recovered the bus from the lake in the hopes of restoring it. Lundt made the effort of tracking the original owner before he could retrieve it, of course.
Vintage car cemetery
In 1940, the SS Thistlegorm was designed by Joseph Thompson & Son to transport military vehicles. However, in 1941, the British merchant navy ship was attacked by German bombers and had sunk into the ocean.
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The ship was transporting several vehicles at that time including this 1930s military truck. Up till now, the sinking site is a popular area for divers who are also interested in vintage cars.
The vintage motorbike
This vintage motorbike was part of the SS Thistlegorm cargo. Divers were surprised to see this hidden gem and assumed that it could have been owned by a high-ranking Army leader.
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The motorbike was created by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), the same company that produced firearms and other military vehicles. The company was considered the largest motorcycle producer from the 1950s to the 1960s. The bike in this picture came from the 1940s.
Sunken Japanese navy base
In the Federated States of Micronesia, there once was a Japanese navy base in Truk Lagoon. The navy base was big enough to accommodate 13,700 people and numerous Japanese war vehicles.
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The navy base was bombed during the US Navy’s “Operation Hailstone” and as a result, you can find a lot of infrastructure and war vehicles in the bottom of the ocean, including this tank.
An unfortunate error
In 1980, MS Zenobia, a Swedish ferry, started its maiden voyage. However, the water pumps encountered a software error. This caused the Zenobia to sink in the ocean near Larnaca, Cyprus.
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As the ship sank, it tilted and her cargo fell into the water before it sank. As a result, these huge trucks ended up falling into the ocean floor on their side next to each other. It looked like a car crash happened on the ocean floor.
An intact airliner
Here is another find from the WWII era. A Douglas DC3, an American airliner during the 1930s and 1940s can be found off the coast of Turkey. The amazing thing is that the plane looks like it is perfectly preserved.
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It was never determined when the plane particularly crashed but it was estimated to be in the 1930s. And it was assumed that the plane had been transporting military supplies when it crashed.
A huge restoration job
A 1959 Chevy Impala was dumped into a pond in an owner’s property, along with other cars. They wanted to make an artificial reef instead of paying for a statue for the pond. After a few years, they realized that it was not working since the car was too close to the surface for the fish to use it.
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So, they changed their minds and retrieved the Impala out of the pond. Despite being underwater for quite a while, they were still able to sell it for $9,000! We wonder what the new owner planned to do with it.
Pablo Escobar’s smuggling plane
The infamous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, smuggled his narcotics on planes. One of these planes can be found on the ocean floor of the Bahamas to this day. But how did it get there?
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In the 1970s, a pilot who was running out of fuel radioed the Staniel Cay airport requesting help in finding the landing strip. The next morning, divers found a sunken plane that was filled with narcotics. It looked like the pilot was able to survive the crash and escape.