Dive into the Past. James Brown explores sunken WWII ships in the Barents Sea

James Brown puts on his diving suit and goes on a treasure hunt to the bottom of the icy-cold Barents Sea. Wrecked ships that once fought against the Nazis lie here ready to tell their stories to the curious adventurer. A team of experienced divers show James the best spots for underwater exploration and direct him to one very special and rather unexpected wreck found near the Norwegian coast. 

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Scuba diving, and specifically cold water diving requires hours of training. A fairly experienced diver himself, James quickly learns that the frigid waters here would prove to be an entirely new challenge. The busy Barents Sea shipping port near the Russian town of Murmansk has seen its fair share of shipwrecks in the past. Here in the bay, waters can reach temperatures of less than 2 degrees Celsius. In preparation, James dons a special thermal wet suit to protect himself against the cold. 

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The ocean floor is a veritable carpet of marine life. Eventually, James and his guides discover a large sunken ship, and spend some time exploring it. Almost completely intact at the time of its sinking, this “ghost ship” remains a remarkably well-preserved specimen, almost frozen in time, 20 meters below. After this dive, James travels to a fjord off the coast of Norway at the other end of the Barents Sea. Here he investigates a World War 2-era fighter plane which crashed and plunged to the sea bottom during the war. As the local divers explain, the sunken aircraft likely hit a nearby mountain, and finally came to rest in the fjord. James goes down to see for himself, and it turns out to be quite an amazing sight.In the end, this unforgettable experience proves to be a true view into the past, and this “underwater museum” still holds many more treasures, just waiting to be discovered.

Watch the film in Russian.