Messerschmitt Bf 109 Wreck, Hersonissos

Location: Crete, Greece

Also known as: Bf 109 Wreck Hersonissos, Hersonissos Plane Wreck, Messerschmitt Me 109

Max depth: 30m · Difficulty: Advanced Open Water · Coordinates: 35.336008, 25.393437

Tags: Wreck, Boat Dive, Deep

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a World War II German Luftwaffe fighter aircraft wreck resting on a clean sandy seabed surrounded by Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows off Anissaras and Hersonissos, Crete. Expert research by aviation historians identifies the aircraft as a Bf 109 G-6 'Gustav' variant (Werknummer 4918, linked to Oberleutnant Gerhard Rahm). The aircraft suffered engine failure or fuel exhaustion during Mediterranean operations in 1942–1943, prompting the pilot to execute a controlled water ditching approximately 800 meters offshore. The pilot survived the emergency sea landing with zero fatalities. Due to the heavy nose weight of the inverted Daimler-Benz engine, the aircraft settled upside down upon impact, which sheared off the tail section (now resting roughly 80 meters away). The airframe remains remarkably intact between 24 and 28 meters depth (maximum 30 meters). Divers can inspect the well-preserved wings, cockpit, landing gear with one attached wheel, and a wing-mounted 20mm machine gun with an intact belt of ammunition protruding from the sand, which is now home to resident moray eels and groupers.

Marine life: Documented species observed at the aircraft wreck include fireworms, lionfish, moray eels, sponges, groupers, damselfish, and small reef fish.

Access: Accessible by dive boat departing from Hersonissos, Stalis, or Heraklion.

Safety: Maximum depth is 30 meters with an average depth around 25 meters, requiring an Advanced Open Water certification. Visibility ranges from 10 to 30 meters with negligible currents. Divers must maintain good buoyancy control to avoid damaging the historical airframe or disturbing bottom sediment.

Associated Diving Centers