Rust in peace: Stunning shipwrecks captured on camera around the world

Rust in peace: Stunning shipwrecks captured on camera around the world

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An intrepid British photographer has travelled the world snapping pictures of the bizarre things lying on the sea bed.

Diving enthusiast Alex Mustard, 36, has made many strange discoveries while exploring beneath the water's surface.
His pictures, taken while investigating the insides of eerie shipwrecks, include barnacle-covered motorbikes once meant for British troops in World War Two.

Rusty British trucks also lie forgotten in their watery graves along with rifles that have never been used, and one extraordinary photo even shows the shell of the iconic VW Beetle car.
Alex, from Southampton, Hampshire, said: 'Wrecks attract divers because of the incongruity of seeing something from above the waves beneath them.
'The VW Beetle was purposely sunk for divers and it's particularly bizarre - it's the last thing you would expect to sea underwater.

'I find it fascinating seeing something familiar in an alien place - underwater.
'I couldn't say how many wrecks I've seen but each is interesting in its own way. Each is unique, the features differ on every wreck and the atmosphere varies too.'
One particularly fascinating wreck for Alex is the HMS Thislegorm - a British cargo ship that was carrying military supplies when it was sunk by a German bomber in the Red Sea in 1941.

Alex said: 'This wreck is still packed with trucks, bikes and rifles.
'War wrecks are always the most sombre, I find they are not only museums but also memorials.
'And I always have mixed feeling of excitement and sadness when exploring them. It is an intense experience on so many levels.'

Alex has explored wrecks both old and new. His most recent, the USS Kittiwake, a US military ship built in 1945, was purposely sunk off the Cayman Islands this year for divers to explore.

And, in some pictures, the vessel doesn't even appear to be underwater.
Alex said: 'Being purposely sunk for divers gives a wreck a totally different atmosphere to one tinged with tragedy.

'Despite only being down for a few days, marine life was already moving in from the nearby reefs.

'Right now the Kittiwake looks brand new and in some photos it is not even clear she is underwater but soon she'll be broken by the sea and covered in marine life. It will be fascinating to see her evolve.

'One of the greatest things about wrecks is the sinking, whether accidental or on purpose, because this is only the start of their journey.'