LITZLAFF OR RETZLAFF - Bornholm
Litzlaff, or Retzlaff as some charts call it, is a Bornholm wreck we keep coming back to. Forget your colourful tropical reefs for a moment, this site is all about atmosphere and history, a proper plunge into the Baltic’s cold embrace. We love the way the light filters through the green water, illuminating the steamship’s skeleton at 25 metres. It’s not a huge wreck, but the details are what grab you: the boiler room, often home to a lurking cod, and the twisted metal of the bow. You’ll spend your bottom time navigating the surprisingly intact structure, feeling the chill of the Baltic seeping through your drysuit, and admiring the mussels that cling to every surface. It’s a site that really rewards a slow, methodical exploration. We’ve found eels poking out from crevices and flatfish scuttling across the sand nearby. This spot is definitely for experienced divers comfortable in low visibility and colder water; it’s a dangerous wreck, so buoyancy control is key. Our favourite time to dive it is on a calm, sunny morning when the surface chop is minimal, making the descent a little less daunting.
- Location
- Bornholm, Denmark, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 56.067883, 12.626266
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 25m
Marine Protected Area: Gilleleje Flak og Tragten
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
- 422 - 20m (wreck)
- AAR - 11m (wreck)
- Abille - 5-15m (shore)
- ACAPULCO 5 - 3m (wreck)
- Achterdiek See (reef)
- ADA - 42m (wreck)
- Adlergrund (reef)
- AEGEUS - 55m (wreck)
- AINAN - 7m (wreck)
- ALBERT - 4m (wreck)
- Alexsi Tauchschule
- ALIDA (OR ELIDA) - 18m (wreck)
- ALLEN - 16m (wreck)
- Allinge
- Alter Kahn
Nearest Dive Centres to LITZLAFF OR RETZLAFF
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
- Protestant (Clupea harengus) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) - Reef Fish
- Fluke (Platichthys flesus) - Reef Fish
- whiting (Merlangius merlangus) - Reef Fish
- sprat (Sprattus sprattus) - Reef Fish
- dab (Limanda limanda) - Reef Fish
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
- Pollock (Trachurus trachurus) - Reef Fish
- bull rout (Myoxocephalus scorpius) - Reef Fish
- Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) - Clams & Mussels
- eel (Anguilla anguilla) - Reef Fish
- four-bearded rockling (Enchelyopus cimbrius) - Reef Fish
- New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) - Reef Fish
- Common sea star (Asterias rubens) - Starfish
- lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus) - Reef Fish
- saithe (Pollachius virens) - Reef Fish
- Split (Scomber scombrus) - Reef Fish
- Common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) - Clams & Mussels
- Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for LITZLAFF OR RETZLAFF
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