Giuseppe Dezza

A short distance from the lighthouse of S. Giovanni (Sv. Ivan), off the coast of Rovinj, at a depth of 30-35 m is Maona, a small cargo vessel which, with its length of 40 m, offers a relatively simple dive for divers, in conditions of good visibility. Suitable for AOWD with a minimum of 40 dives.

Touring the Baron Gautsch is best started at the stern, across the upper deck towards the bow. After viewing the outside of the ship, you will get a very pleasant feeling of staying in the wreck, while going to the upper deck where the steel skeleton is left.

Called “ISTRA“ for years, the true identity of this wreck was only recently established as the steamship “Hans Schmidt.“

It is believed to have been one of the first ships sunk on Istrian territory at the beginning of World War I.According to the data, the ship was built in an English shipyard and equipped with J. Gilmore engines, from which she received her name. The well-preserved interior of the vessel can be accessed.

Due to the bad weather that hit the whole Adriatic at the time, the captain decided to take refuge in the port of Pula; heading towards the city, he struck a mine which destroyed the bow, sinking the ship in the place where it still stands. During the dive, one can enter the wreck which is quite wide and safe.

Bad weather conditions in November 1912 were fatal for the fate of the Romagna, a cargo ship sunk near Rovinj. That was the last time she sailed, carrying grain from Ravenna to Trieste. Today she lies at a depth of 40 m, with her length of 60 m, almost completely covered by shreds of fishing nets.

The Italian merchant steamship “Varese“ sank in 1915 while transporting cargo from Trieste to Tunis. Because of bad weather, the captain decided to take refuge in the port of Pula. Heading towards the city, ship struck a mine which destroyed the prow, the ship sinking in the place where it is today.

A tugboat sunk in the 1960s was used for manoeuvring larger ships in the harbour. It’s 15m long so there is no possibility of going inside the wreck.

The dive begins on a shallow plateau at a depth of 5m and goes down slightly to the southwest until it reaches a wall that gently drops to 30m of depth, which we follow on its right side. The slope extends throughout the south side of the Brijuni Islands, which are decorated with numerous pinnacles.

An inevitable diving location on the Istrian peninsula. The dive begins in the northern part of the island. We dive along a sandy slope towards the first tunnel through which we will each pass individually. Afterwards, we soon reach the next tunnel through which we dive in pairs.