Pecio Mikhail Lermontov

Cold-water wreck

New Zealand · Port Gore, Marlborough Sounds, South Island

Profundidad: 12–38 mNivel: Advanced; penetration only with specific training

A Soviet liner of 175.8 m and some 20,000 tonnes, built at Wismar in 1972. On 16 February 1986 she struck the rocks off Cape Jackson, in the Marlborough Sounds, with her hull opened in three places; she limped as far as Port Gore and sank that same night. Of the 738 people aboard only one died, the refrigeration engineer Pavel Zaglyadimov. She lies whole on her starboard side, with the port bow at 12-14 m and the seabed at 36-38, which makes her the largest diveable wreck in Australasia.

Depth

12–38 m

Recommended level

Advanced; penetration only with specific training

Access

Boat / multi-day charter

Plan your dive

Did you know

Se le ha llamado 'el Andrea Doria del Pacífico Sur'. El interior conserva salones, escaleras, bares y hasta lámparas de araña, y muchas zonas son accesibles sin penetración real gracias a las ventanas de las cubiertas públicas. Es una inmersión seria: ha costado la vida a tres buceadores recreativos y dos cuerpos nunca se recuperaron. La bahía tiene fondo de limo y poca visibilidad, lo que añade ambiente pero también riesgo.

Sources consulted: Te Ara / NZHistory (gobierno de Nueva Zelanda); Wikipedia (MS Mikhail Lermontov); Divernet; Global Dive; NZ Pocket Guide