Lokacije ronjenja

Shipwreck Etnea, Unije

Two shipwrecks, one from the 20th century and an ancient one, can be found at the foot of  rock Školjić, at the entrance to the port of Unije, covering the area of 150 m2.

A 60-meter-long cargo ship Etnea sank in 1917 and now lies at the depth of 35 meters. Often mixed with its twin ship Tihany (found in Montenegro),  the steamship was rented by the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I and sank after only 10 years at the sea. Descending starts at the western section of Školjić and takes you vertically down along the reef to Etnea resting on her port side. Its bow lies buried in the sand, but the ship’s interior is well-lit and traces of coal – its last cargo – can be seen inside. The reserve propeller is also still intact. Diving takes place around the wreck and diving into the wreck is not recommended due to risk of interference and residual metal that can cause injuries.

The wreck’s wooden sections have rotted, but the steel construction remains intact and is thriving in incredible amount of marine life, like Sabella fan worms, damselfish and saupe, while large large lobsters can be seen on the seabed. The wreck itself is covered in vividly colorful sponges. Green algae are splashed all over the reef.

At the stern of Etnea lies another wreck, a cargo ship from ancient times, dated to 1st century. Remains are revealing two types of pottery that contained the precious trade goods the ship was carrying. Numerous fragments of amphorae – used to transport the wine – are scattered around.