ALIDA (OR ELIDA) - Bornholm

The ALIDA, or ELIDA as some charts have it, is a Bornholm wreck we’ve spent more than a few hours on. She’s a dangerous wreck, for sure, sitting at a shallow 18m, but that just means you need to dive it smart, not avoid it. What we love about the ALIDA is how intact she is for a wreck of her age and depth. You can still make out the bow, the stern, and parts of the superstructure, giving it a real sense of its past. This isn’t a colourful reef dive, obviously, but the grey scale of the Baltic Sea suits her. Look closely and you’ll find plenty of life: blennies peeking from crevices, small crabs scuttling across the deck plates, and shoals of juvenile cod darting through the skeleton of the hold. Our favourite is exploring the internal spaces, but only if you’re properly trained and equipped for overhead environments. Otherwise, circling the outside, appreciating the lines of the ship and the way the light filters down through the Baltic green, is a fantastic dive. It’s definitely one for wreck enthusiasts who appreciate history and a good story over coral gardens.

Location
Bornholm, Denmark, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
54.717815, 12.508483
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
18m

Wreck History - ALIDA (OR ELIDA)

Year Sunk
1916
Vessel Type
cargo ship
Cause
storm
Tonnage
177 GRT

The Alida, a Swedish wooden schooner, met her end in the turbulent waters of the Baltic Sea. In 1916, while transporting a cargo of bricks, she was caught in a violent storm and sank off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm. The vessel was lost to the sea, becoming another of the many historic shipwrecks that litter this ancient maritime crossroads.

Today, the remains of the Alida lie scattered at a shallow depth of 18 meters. The wreck is classified as 'dangerous' not because of the dive itself, but because its dispersed and broken structure poses a hazard to navigation. For divers, this means exploring a wide debris field rather than an intact ship. You can find sections of the wooden hull, piles of the brick cargo, and other remnants of the schooner, all heavily colonized by the unique marine life of the Baltic. It's an accessible dive that serves as a poignant reminder of the power of the sea.

Marine Protected Area: Bøchers Grund

Best Time to Dive in Bornholm

The warmest water temperatures in Bornholm occur in January, averaging 3.3°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 3.3°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

  • January: 3.3°C (air: 3.1°C)
  • February: 3.3°C (air: 3.2°C)
  • March: 3.3°C (air: 3.9°C)
  • April: 3.3°C (air: 6.0°C)
  • May: 3.3°C (air: 10.9°C)
  • June: 3.3°C (air: 16.1°C)
  • July: 3.3°C (air: 17.4°C)
  • August: 3.3°C (air: 18.0°C)
  • September: 3.3°C (air: 15.7°C)
  • October: 3.3°C (air: 11.5°C)
  • November: 3.3°C (air: 7.1°C)
  • December: 3.3°C (air: 3.5°C)

Nearby Dive Sites in Bornholm

Nearest Dive Centres to ALIDA (OR ELIDA)

Marine Life in Bornholm

Home to 67 recorded species including 43 reef fish, 7 clams & mussels, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 crabs & lobsters, 2 starfish, 2 other.

Notable Species

Recommended Packing List for ALIDA (OR ELIDA)

Based on average water temperature of 3.3°C.

  • Drysuit - water at 3°C demands a drysuit with thermal undergarments
  • Hood & Gloves (7mm+) - critical to prevent heat loss
  • Mask - essential for every dive
  • Fins
  • BCD - buoyancy compensator
  • Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
  • Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
  • Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
  • Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
  • Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories