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1. S.S. Yongala: Australia. The victim of a cyclone on March 23, 1911, this 328-foot ship remained undiscovered for almost 50 years. Today, the S.S. Yongala shows off more fish in a single dive than on any number of dives on the Great Barrier Reef. Depth: max 110 feet.
2. Bianca C: Grenada. The 600-foot, 18,000-ton passenger cruise liner was built to accommodate 202 1st class and 1,030 2nd class passengers who were all saved when a fire brought her down in 1961. Only two crew members were lost in the initial explosion. Today, she is just as beautiful below water as she was above it. Depth: 75-165 feet.
3. Fujikawa Maru: Truk Lagoon. Lying upright at an even keel, divers can swim through the wreck, take a stop in the engine room, fin past the machine shop, and exit out through the torpedo hole that ultimately brought her to the bottom. Depth: 49-115 feet.
4. Sankisan Maru: Truk Lagoon. Built in 1920, this medium sized freighter's holds display zero engines, bullets, medicine bottles, and remains of truck parts on the deck. Masts reach almost to the surface and are covered in coral and fish. Depth: max 150 feet.
5. S.S. Stavronikita: Barbados. Fire sent this 365-foot Greek freighter adrift for three days until she was rescued and brought to Barbados in the early 1970's. The Stav has been submerged for 20 years and is decorated with everything from sea whips, soft and hard corals, to tangs, barracudas and turtles. Depth: 18-100 feet.
6. Constellation: Bermuda. The muse for Peter Benchley's adventure story, The Deep, the wreck still displays her contents on the sand and coral bottom. Part of her deck cargo includes cups, nail polish bottles, lead crucifixes, ceramic tiles and even yo-yos. Her cargo of cement bags now resembles piles of soft pillows and are a magnet for fish. Depth: 25-30 feet.
7. Nord: Tasmania. Carrying 12,000 cases of Petroleum, the Nord struck an uncharted rock near the Tasman Peninsula and sank in November 1915. The 269-foot vessel is upright and largely intact. Depth: 115-130 feet.
8. USS Saratoga: Bikini Atoll. At 880 feet long, it is the largest dive-able vessel in the world and the only aircraft carrier. The "Sara" sits at the bottom of Bikini's lagoon alongside Helldivers and bombs complete with dials and controls. Depth: 40-190 feet.
9. Superior Producer: Curacao. This 3000-ton freighter arrived in Curacao in 1977 stuffed to the rim for Christmas with clothes, alcohol, electronic goods, and even dive gear. Too heavy, she was quick to sink, and a treasure hunt began for the lucky salvagers. Depth: max 100 feet.
10. Antilla: Aruba. In 1939, this 400-foot German freighter secretly supplied submarines and their crews in the neutral waters off the Dutch islands. After being demanded to surrender, the captain blasted a hole in his own freighter ultimately sinking it. The mast and chimney still emerge from the water. Depth: max 60 feet.
11. Hilma Hooker: Bonaire. Dive this early to beat the crowd and see this Columbian cargo ship off the island of Bonaire. Once port authorities discovered her 12-ton stash of drugs in 1984, she mysteriously disappeared to the waters below. Depth: max 100 feet.
12. USS Spiegel Grove: Key Largo, FL. After 33 years of service to the US Navy, this 510-foot long class dock landing ship was laid to rest as an artificial reef and is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's "Shipwreck Trail." Depth: 45-130 feet.
13. USS Apogon: Bikini Atoll. The USS Apogon served in WWII until July 25, 1946, where she was sunk during atomic bomb testing. Depth: max 161 feet.
14. Papoose: North Carolina. Sitting virtually upside down, this 412-foot U.S. tanker was torpedoed by German U-boat, U-124, in 1942. While displaying its large rudder and anchors, it attracts groups of sand tiger sharks and manta rays. Penetration is possible at several points but divers beware boilers and engines tend to fall from their suspensions above and now some lay crushed on the ocean floor. Depth: 90-120 feet.
15. The American wreck: Pulau Labuan. This US Navy minesweeper struck a mine in Brunei Bay and was left broken in half and folded back bow resting on stern. One of the four popular wrecks found in Pulau Labuan, the American wreck allows penetration, though the hull is only for experienced divers. Depth: 39-98 feet.
16. RMS Rhone: Peter's Island, B.V.I. On October 29th, 1867, this Royal Mail steam ship was carrying mail and passengers from England to the Caribbean when they found themselves in the eye of a hurricane near Peter's Island. The crew was ordered to tie the passengers in ultimately sealing their fate. Only a few of the 125 people aboard the ship survived that day. Depth: 35-80 feet.
17. Thistlegorm: Red Sea. British vessels dipped their flags in honor when passing the approximate site where the Thistlegorm sank in 1941. Not until the early fifties did Jacques Cousteau rediscover her. Today, she is known as an underwater WWII museum. Her cargo is filled with everything from motorcycles to trucks and trailers. Depth: max 105 feet.
18. Prins Willem V: Lake Michigan. This 258-foot Dutch freighter sank after colliding into a tugboat pulling a barge. She continues to slowly sink into the muddy bottom today. Her cargo includes jukeboxes, printing presses, band instruments and even animal hides. Depth: 48-90 feet.
19. The President Coolidge: Vanuatu. Often said to be the most accessible ship in the world, this 33,000-ton ship lays only a few paces from the shore of Vanuatu in the South West Pacific. Still standing in the 1st Class passengers' smoking lounge remains the "Lady and the Unicorn" a sculpture displayed above the fireplace. The ship allows penetration with easy exits throughout. Originally a luxury liner, she was transformed into a troop ship during WWII until hitting a mine in 1942. Depth: 68-230 feet.
20. U-352: North Carolina. This German U-boat attempted to torpedo the US Coast Guard, but missed. They returned the favor by firing back 5 depth charges, ultimately destroying the U-boat's interior. The U-352 is the main draw for many divers visiting North Carolina for the first time. Depth: 100-115 feet.
21. Yukon: San Diego. Located in southern California, the 366-foot long Canadian destroyer is a maze of passages and small compartments, some being 50 feet from the nearest exit. Divers take caution: though exits consisting of dolphin cutouts and location maps remain throughout the ship, the Yukon sits on her portside. Depth: max 100 feet.
22. Carlisle Bay: Barbados. Six wrecks abundant with seahorses and marine life can all be visited during one shallow dive on the southwest shore of Barbados. Check out the Berwind, a 70-foot long French tug boat; the Ce-Trek, a cement boat; the Bajan Queen, Barbados' first tugboat; the Cornwallis, a Canadian freighter; and the Barge, a Naval-landing barge. Depth: 10-45 feet.
23. Tenneco Towers: Fort Lauderdale. Donated by Tenneco Oil Company, these old oilrigs have a total surface area of 100,000 square feet and weigh 912 tons. Each massive piece of the structure attracts sponges, invertebrates, gorgonians, large fish and the ever-present bull sharks. Depth: 65-115 feet.
24. S.M.S. Karlsruhe: Scapa Flow, Scotland. Scapa Flow, a safe haven of sheltered water in Scotland, has been used as anchorage for boats since the days of the Vikings leaving an unknown number of wrecks along her floor. This light cruiser lies on her starboard side next to her contents including debris such as guns, lifeboat davits, pipes and fuse boxes. Depth: 59-82 feet.
25. Rosaomaira: St. Croix. The 177-foot freighter, lovingly nicknamed "Rosa", is the deepest wreck at Butler Bay in St. Croix. Still holding on to her past, the "Rosa" sits upright and fully intact with the crew's clothing still hanging in their cabins. Depth: 85-110 feet.
