I’ve been sharing images of shipwrecks of late, partly, if I’m entirely honest because I’m really missing my diving and my thoughts keep drifting off towards the underwater world.

This post is probably my last on this theme, and whilst I have shared these images before, for anyone who hasn’t seen them, this wreck is really worth a look.  let me introduce you to the Skipjacks, numbers 1 and 2, also known as the Shipyard.

These two vessels are perhaps the most well known of the Maldives’ limited number of known wrecks.  Number 1, a cold storage vessel used to carry tuna sank after a fire whilst under tow.  Number two sank after springing a leak.  They now lie close together making for a deepish and slightly rushed single dive or two more leisurely dives, though I could dive them every day just to explore the life on and around them.

Both wrecks are subject to a good degree of current and both have become adorned with filter feeding life with superb displays of black Tubastraea making these wrecks really special.  It seems to appreciate the high current areas provided by the ships’ superstructures which jut out, into the current.

The coral cover on both is excellent as is the fish life.  Shoals of Lyretail Anthias make up the bulk of the fish life.

Diving in the Maldives is limited to thirty meters by law, so some parts of the wrecks are ‘no go areas’, which offers some protection from careless fin kicks.