Klaipeda - Wreck Diving in Lithuania

Klaipeda, formerly Memel, is a port city in Lithuania. In 2017, I went diving there for the first time and was already blown away by the sheer number of wrecks off the coast. From old wooden ships to freighters from the 19th and 20th centuries, submarines, and warships, everything is there.

The bow of the Imperial German warship Friedrich Carl

Diving depths vary from 20 - 90 meters. Water temperature ranges from 21 degrees at the surface in summer to 5 degrees at the bottom, so definitely pack a drysuit. The diving level starts from Nitrox and Deep for sport divers and goes up to Trimix level for technical divers.

A diver inspects a historic wooden wreck, laden with railway sleepers, at a depth of approx. 20 meters

When we first dove in Lithuania, it was quite difficult to organize. We found a good boat with the NZ55 and a good captain with Linas who could take us to the wrecks, but at the beginning, there were no gases and no filling logistics. That has changed in the meantime, and the infrastructure gets better every year.

Dive boat NZ55

The best way to get to Klaipeda is by ferry from Kiel. For accommodation, several hotels are available directly at the harbor within walking distance. If you don't want that much comfort, you can also stay on the NZ 55 in double cabins and use the showers in the marina.

The wrecks at sport diving depths can be reached after about 30-45 minutes of travel, while the deeper wrecks are sometimes 3-6 hours away. It's nice that the NZ55 has a cozy cabin, a galley, and a covered dive deck.

Jump from the ship's side...the way back on board is via a lift that brings the diver out of the water.

The trip can also get a bit uncomfortable depending on the season. It's very good to have a sturdy stomach. The most stable weather periods are usually in May or September, but it can also happen that the waves are too high to dive on some days. In that case, Klaipeda and its surroundings also offer an interesting landscape and cultural program. Lithuania is a very maritime-interested country, so the Maritime Museum in Klaipeda is very interesting, and the cityscape with its German past is also worth seeing.

Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit, one of Europe's largest sand dunes, and the town of Neringa on the Curonian Lagoon are definitely worth a trip. Also well suited for hiking and cycling tours.

21cm gun of the Friedrich Carl

Conclusion: A somewhat rough diving environment but with very exclusive and perfectly preserved wrecks, both for diving and culturally 5 stars!

Don't miss! The video about our wreck search and exploration: