Hans Schmidt (Istra)

The wreck lies in open Adriatic several miles offshore, south-west of the Rovinj archipelago, so its sheltered sectors are those pointing back at the Istrian mainland and the Rovinj islands to the north and east, while the S-SSW-SW-W arc is fully open to the sea. The North Adriatic has no true ocean swell — seas are wind-generated over fetch. The dominant heavy weather is the Jugo (Scirocco) from the SE, which blows up the long NW-SE axis of the Adriatic with the greatest fetch and builds the biggest waves at this site; the Bura (Bora) from the NE is gusty and offshore from Istria, and the afternoon Maestral from the NW raises moderate open-sea chop. As a deep offshore wreck the site is only affected at the surface, but a sustained Jugo or a strong SW-W blow quickly makes the long boat run and the shotline descent untenable, which is the usual reason trips are called off.