Diving for wrecks is a thrilling experience in itself, some might even say more thrilling than diving with sharks, but the open ocean holds much more than sunken ships. It can be humbling and intimidating to come face to face with a massive structure that should be above water rather than below it. But what's even more astounding is coming face to face with a structure that should be in the air, rather than miles below the sea surface.
Plane wrecks are unique in the sense that in the water, they're fully preserved. As they hit the water and sink they might deteriorate somewhat, but for the most part, they're fully-intact as they settle on the seabed. All over the world, planes have met their fates in the open ocean, and these wrecks traverse time periods to this day as they've become the most divable destinations for avid wreck-lovers.
Jake Seaplane In Palau
During World War II, many planes went down in the Pacific and specifically around Palau. In between Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, this tiny island is home to Jake Seaplane.
According to experts, this wartime plane most likely went down while the plane was stationary - in other words, the propellers were not in motion when the plane hit the water. They're able to determine this due to the miraculous condition in which the plane has been preserved in, including the cockpit. The tail section of the plane lies not far from the body and can easily be seen in one dive.
Dakota DC3 In Turkey
The Dakota DC3 also went down during the Second World War and functioned as a Turkish paratrooper plane prior to its sinking.
The difference between this plane wreck and others is that this plane was sunken intentionally. The idea was to make it a tourist attraction for divers which turned out to be a great idea since the plane is still intact to this day. Divers are able to see the plane in its entirety, from the cockpit to tail section, and even the flight controls are still in nearly perfect condition.
Vought F4u Corsair In Hawaii
This sea crash has a happy ending, as the pilot of the craft was able to successful exit the craft before the entire plane sunk to the bottom of the ocean. In 1948, the Vought F4U Corsair had a fuel gauge malfunction which led to engine failure, ultimately bringing the plane down.
With a nearly flawless water landing, the pilot made it to dry land after taking off from Pearl Harbor, just in time to witness the entire thing sink. Now, it lies in the sand just below the surface, becoming a haven for marine life. One of its wings is just barely visible while the other currently acts as an anchor, keeping the craft in place.
Boeing 737 In British Columbia, Canada
As far as large plane wrecks go, the Boeing 737 in British Columbia is one of the biggest. Fortunately, this plane wasn't truly a wreck - it was intentionally sunken in 2006 by its owner, Peter Luckham, for the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia.
Since then, the aircraft has been claimed by the water, allowing aquatic life to thrive around this man-made structure. Almost one decade later, it was reported that that plane has seen up to 117 different species of marine life.