Glass Wreck (Otočac)

Position: aproximately 500 m from Diving Centre

Depth: 24 - 25 m

Attractions: wreck from 16-th century

Annotation: contact with the history is always exciting ....

Only a few hundred meters from the centre in the middle between Korčula shoe and the opposite island with the croatian name "Otočac", contains the remains of a medieval ship. According to the information provided to us to request the Croatian Ministry of Culture is a wooden vessel, which in Otočac failed because sometimes the beginning of the 16th century!

The wreck of the vessel now lies at a depth of about 25 meters. Of course, everything in it was originally made of wood, has long since disintegrated. On the junkyard is located only have a few artifacts. The ravages of time while their eroded, but glass, stone or metal parts are still recognizable.

At first glance a diver notices that everywhere in the area are pieces of glass. In some places - like layers of onion - superimposed clusters of glass plates from the time of Venetian domination on the island of Korčula. Once upon a time were probably stored in wooden boxes, which were additionally lined with sawdust. Today, one remained little transparent glass, with a square measuring approximately 20 x 20 cm.

Scrapyard consists mainly big lead rolls. They were used for bonding glass panes into larger units. On the edge of the great "cast" barrel, which from terako used at that time mainly as a flooring material. Wooden shuttering barrel roted but terako can always see the imprint of its structure.

The highlight of the dive is without doubt the opportunity to physically touch the huge cannon that fired off more than 400 years. "Our" gun diagonally stuck to the bottom, indicating that a substantial part concerns the massive layer of sand. Sticking out of it only the rear part of the fuse.

A conclusion of two unverified information. On the edge of remains are few more than meter long copper ingots. It is very likely that these pieces were produced in the territory of current Slovakia. Allegedly, said the 16-th century, in the fall remains of pavidla are so large pieces just fell down on the Štiavnické mountains.

Another one of the legends concerning the shipwreck says that the ship was carrying a pane of glass in the famous monastery in the middle of the salt lake in today's National Park Mljet. We went therefore to Mljet. We noted that the size of these tables Venetian glass allegations match.

Causes and circumstances foundering vessel but probably forever remain a mystery, the sea took with itself into the depths .......

Dive on the wreck we realize the way, when we approach the place of descent by boat. The remains of the vessel are marked with a buoy, so the descent rope to the scrapyard place is simple. The wreck is lying at a depth of around 24 meters and usually is visible to divers after a fall of a few meters below the surface.

After a few minute tour araund the wreckplace and touching the canon gun, leading diver usually will head north to the nearest shore. At a depth of around 10 meters divers disappear from the bottom of Neptune grass, which is replaced by stony bottom. Copying relief coast, all the way to about 35-40 minutes to get to the edge of our Prišćapac bay.