Explore the Fascinating Wonders of Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow on the northern point of Scotland is a renowned natural harbor. This stretch of water is roughly 20 km from east to west and 15km from north to south. Scapa Flow lies within the shelter of the surrounding Orkney Islands. Scapa Flow has been an attraction for more than a thousand years and is known for it beautiful and remote location.

Today Scapa Flow is home to a major oil terminal at Flotta. Up to 10% of Britain’s oil arrives by pipe from the North Sea oilfields and is then transferred to tankers for shipment around the world.

Scotland’s Scapa Flow is also famous for the wrecks of the German High Seas Fleet that were damaged here at the end of World War I. The three largest battleships wrecked at Scapa Flow were the Kronprinz Wilhelm, the Markgraf and the Konig, all 177 metres long and weighing 26,000 tons. The wrecks are most fascinating to explore. As you can imagine this makes for great Scuba diving. The water is clear, although deeper waters may restrict your visibility, so its a good idea to have a torch handy. The battleships mostly lie over 30 metres deep, so one has to be very careful when scuba diving. On the decks you will find huge guns that protrude from the wreckage. While you are scuba diving at Scapa Flow you will also see creatures in the deep waters like starfish and jellyfish. Diving here in the waters of Scapa Flow is a rare treat. It may take up to a week to see most of the wreckage.

Tourists should definitely make a stop at the Scapa Flow Visitor’s Centre. The visitor’s centre houses original oil pumping equipment and a large range of exhibits that date back as far as the 1940s. Here you can also see displays and models showing how Scapa Flow’s defences worked, as well as models showing the 1919 German Fleet when it was damaged.There are many photographs on display to give you a sense of what life was like back then. Everyone can enjoy this part of the tour as there is so much to see and learn. Indeed, Scapa Flow has much to offer travelers in this region of Scotland.

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