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What is Wreck Diving Magazine?
Wreck Diving Magazine is a niche publication devoted to shipwreck diving, combining destination guides to individual wrecks with maritime history, wreck-exploration news and coverage of the diving community around it. It is written for divers who care as much about a wreck's story—how a ship sank, who was lost, what survives below—as about the dive itself.
What it covers
The current issue shows the range clearly. Destination pieces span Truk Lagoon's "ghost ships," the President Coolidge (presented as the world's largest shore-accessible wreck), Sweden's Öland Island in the Baltic, Lake Erie's 1700s "Dunkirk Schooner," the Russia in the Great Lakes and the Emperor of Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Historical features include the SS Pommerania and the Dreadnought battleship era, and the magazine also goes behind the scenes of National Geographic's Drain the Oceans TV series.
Who it suits and how it is read
- Travelling wreck divers planning trips will find destination-led articles that describe specific named wrecks rather than generic dive-resort roundups.
- History-minded readers get the sinking stories and research angles, including solved and unsolved Great Lakes mysteries.
- Armchair divers can read the digital edition, which the magazine says is available through Zinio and adds video, audio and live links to the print material.
Trade-offs
The focus is narrow: readers wanting reef diving, training advice or gear reviews will find little here. Coverage is also strongly weighted toward North America and the Great Lakes, with some European and Pacific destinations. The publication is subscription-based, with print issues and the digital edition sold separately from the site's free news items.
A practical next step
If you are deciding whether to subscribe, use the current issue's contents list as a sample: if two or three of the named wrecks—say, the Coolidge and Truk Lagoon—are on your own wish list, the subscription is likely worth it; if none are, borrow a single issue first. For the historical side, the magazine's companion project, the Shipwreck Exploration Society, is described on the site as a nonprofit funding wreck exploration, including a search for a WWII B-17 off Germany. Divers comparing publications might also look at DIVERNET for broader wreck and diving news.
How can I subscribe to Wreck Diving Magazine or read the digital edition?
Subscribe through the "Subscribe Today" link on Wreck Diving Magazine. The site says the digital edition is available via Zinio, delivering the same material as print plus video, audio and live links on iPad, desktop and laptop. The page shows no prices, so check the subscription page for current rates and terms.
Print vs. digital
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Collectors, reading offline, a physical archive | Slower delivery; no video or live links | |
| Digital (Zinio) | Travelers, tablet readers, anyone wanting extras | Needs a device and account; less shelf presence |
Practical next step
If you mainly want destination and wreck-history features, the digital edition's extra media may suit you. If you want a keepsake, choose print. Before paying, confirm the issue frequency, whether back issues such as Issue 46 are included, and how Zinio access is delivered. The site also mentions a Shipwreck Exploration Society nonprofit, separate from the magazine subscription.
What shipwrecks are covered in the current issue of Wreck Diving Magazine?
Issue 46 features eight main wreck stories, spanning the US, the Caribbean, the Baltic and northern Europe.
Wrecks and subjects in Issue 46
- President Coolidge — the large wreck you can dive from shore, marking its 75th anniversary.
- SS Pommerania — the ship whose captain went down after helping passengers to safety.
- HMS Dreadnought — covered in "In The Wake of Dreadnoughts," on the battleship that made earlier battleships obsolete.
- The "Dunkirk Schooner" — an intact 1700s two-masted schooner resting upright in Lake Erie.
- Truk Lagoon — "Ghost Ships of Truk Lagoon," on one of the great undersea wreck destinations.
- The Russia — a 110-year-old Great Lakes shipwreck whose mystery was solved.
- Öland Island, Sweden — Baltic wooden wrecks, which the issue notes are better preserved than in other oceans.
- The Emperor of Isle Royale — a Lake Superior shipwreck in Isle Royale National Park.
There is also a behind-the-scenes piece on the National Geographic series Drain the Oceans.
Which story fits your interest
| If you want… | Start with |
|---|---|
| A wreck reachable from shore, good for newer wreck divers | President Coolidge |
| Cold, fresh water and unusual preservation | The Russia, the Dunkirk Schooner, or the Emperor |
| Deep, warm-water wreck diving with many ships | Truk Lagoon |
| Maritime archaeology and wooden-hull conditions | Öland Island, Sweden |
| Naval history and how one ship changed a class | Dreadnought feature |
A useful next step: if you dive mainly in the Great Lakes, the Lake Erie, Lake Superior and Russia pieces give the most directly relevant context on conditions and preservation. If you are planning a trip, treat Truk Lagoon and Öland as destination features rather than trip guides.
For the full contents list and the digital edition, see Wreck Diving Magazine.
How can I donate to or get involved with the Shipwreck Exploration Society's B-17 recovery project?
The page points readers to the Shipwreck Exploration Society (SES), described as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created by Wreck Diving Magazine to fund exploration, with its newest project being the search for a B-17 lost off the coast of Germany in WWII and the recovery of airman Charles Crawford and his pilot. For donation and involvement details, the page directs readers to the "Latest News" section or to the SES website. Start there for current donation methods, project updates and volunteer or membership options, since the magazine page itself gives the mission but not the full sign-up or giving process.
A practical route
- Open the SES site via the "Latest News" link on Wreck Diving Magazine and look for a donate or support page; confirm the organization's nonprofit status and how funds are earmarked for the B-17 search.
- If you want to do more than give, ask directly about volunteer roles. A recovery project typically needs researchers, archivists, divers, photographers and logistics help, and a small nonprofit will usually welcome named, specific offers.
- If you are a diver or researcher, describe your certifications, region and availability in one short message rather than a general expression of interest.
What to weigh before giving
A named, emotionally resonant goal like bringing an airman home is compelling, but ask how donations are split between the B-17 project and general operations, and whether the search has defined phases and reporting. For a project this uncertain, staged funding with public updates is a better sign than a single open appeal. If you want a comparison point for how wreck-diving organizations present projects and memberships, look at established groups such as Shipwreck Exploration Society only after confirming the exact domain from the magazine's own link, and compare their published project reports before committing money.
Which wreck diving destinations featured in the magazine, such as Truk Lagoon, Bermuda, or Isle Royale, are worth planning a dive trip around?
Truk Lagoon, Bermuda and Isle Royale are the strongest trip-worthy destinations among those the magazine features, each for a different kind of diver. The magazine also covers the President Coolidge in Vanuatu, Sweden's Öland Island, Lake Erie's "Dunkirk Schooner" and SS Pommerania, but the three below are the clearest cases for building a trip around.
How the three compare
| Destination | What draws divers | Main trade-off | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truk Lagoon (Chuuk, Micronesia) | A large fleet of Japanese WWII wrecks in warm, clear lagoon water, many within recreational depth; the magazine calls them "ghost ships" of one of the undersea wonders of the world | Long, expensive travel via Guam or Honolulu; wreck penetration rewards training and experience | Divers who want volume and variety of intact WWII wrecks |
| Bermuda | Wrecks close to shore in clear Atlantic water, easy to combine with reef and cave diving; the magazine's team dived there | More weather-dependent than a sheltered lagoon; wreck sizes are generally smaller than Truk's | Divers who want wreck diving inside a broader island holiday |
| Isle Royale (Lake Superior) | Cold, fresh water that preserves wooden and steel wrecks exceptionally well, including the Emperor of Isle Royale | Remote national park reached by ferry or floatplane; cold water demands drysuit or thick wetsuit and careful logistics | Experienced divers and history-focused divers who value preservation over comfort |
Choosing between them
- First wreck-focused trip: Truk Lagoon gives the most wrecks per day of diving, with warm water and shallow profiles that suit newly certified wreck divers.
- Wreck diving as part of a family or mixed-group holiday: Bermuda works best, since non-diving companions have plenty to do and dives are short boat rides.
- Freshwater preservation and quiet: Isle Royale is the pick, but plan it as a dedicated trip with cold-water gear and park accommodation booked well ahead.
- Vanuatu's President Coolidge deserves separate mention: it is a single, huge wreck the magazine marked as turning 75, and it suits divers who prefer one large, deep, penetration-heavy site over many smaller ones.
A useful next step is to check each destination's local dive operators and seasonality before booking: Truk's conditions and Isle Royale's ferry schedule vary by time of year far more than Bermuda's. For background on specific wrecks, the magazine's own articles are a starting point at Wreck Diving Magazine.
How do I join the Wreck Diving Magazine community or attend events like Wreck-Week?
Joining the Wreck Diving Magazine community starts with its publication and its affiliated nonprofit rather than with a formal membership portal. The page presents the magazine as a print and digital publication (digital editions distributed through Zinio), promotes a "Subscribe Today" action, and points readers to its "Latest News" section for club-joining details. It also describes the Shipwreck Exploration Society (SES), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit the magazine created to fund wreck exploration, with a current project to locate a WWII B-17 lost off Germany and recover an airman's remains.
Practical routes in
- Subscribe to the magazine — the most direct way to follow its wreck coverage and announcements; the site lists a phone number, 864-414-1931, as a contact.
- Follow "Latest News" — the page explicitly directs readers there to learn about joining the club.
- Support or contact the Shipwreck Exploration Society — the site names it as the nonprofit arm and invites donations and involvement in its projects.
- Watch for event write-ups — Wreck-Week in Morehead City, North Carolina, is described as an activity the magazine completed and photographed, which suggests event news appears through the magazine's channels rather than a separate events calendar.
About attending Wreck-Week
The page describes Wreck-Week as something the magazine took part in and photographed, not as an event it organizes with open registration. Treat attendance details as something to confirm directly with the magazine or the host dive community in Morehead City before planning travel. If you are considering a trip, a sensible next step is to call the listed number or check the "Latest News" section for current announcements, then ask specifically whether the next Wreck-Week has dates, a host operator and any participant requirements.
For broader context on wreck diving as a hobby, official organizations such as PADI and DAN publish training and safety guidance that pairs well with a specialty publication's destination coverage.
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