Vasa Wreck in Stockholm: New Discoveries in 2025

About 30 metres down, in the dark water of Stockholm, a rounded object with what looks like a mouth lies quietly on the seabed. Nobody knows yet what it is. The Vasa ship itself was raised from these waters more than 60 years ago, and still its underwater story is not finished. In May 2025, the Vasa Museum reported new discoveries from dives at the place where the ship sank in 1628. The divers were searching for parts that stayed missing after the famous recovery.

It is a lovely reminder that even a celebrated shipwreck can keep a few chapters below the surface.

What did the divers find at the Vasa wreck site?

The work took place in the so-called Vasa Pit, led by maritime archaeologists from Vrak, the Museum of Wrecks. The museum lists log anchors, barrel fragments, a piece of timber that may have belonged to a crow's nest, and that rounded object with a mouth. According to the museum's head of research, the timber may come from the crow's nest on Vasa's bowsprit, a part of the ship that has never been recovered.

The search came in three steps: sonar mapping of the seabed from a Stockholm University research vessel, a survey with an underwater robot together with the Swedish Navy, and finally dives by the archaeologists themselves. This is careful archaeological work. It is not a recreational dive trip.

Today, Vasa is preserved and displayed at the Vasa Museum. Visitors can explore the ship above water, and learn how maritime archaeologists document objects underwater. The museum hopes to recover more missing pieces before the ship's 400th anniversary in 2028.

Why wrecks need patient research

A wreck site can hold evidence about shipbuilding, trade and technology. It can also tell us about the people who lived with the ship.

Moving an object without records can erase information that can never be recovered. So archaeological teams map, photograph, record and conserve each find with great care.

The Baltic is known for keeping wrecks unusually well in some areas. But every site is different, and legal access and diving rules depend on the wreck and the country.

A different way to explore the Baltic

You do not need to go inside a wreck to enjoy its history. Museums, guided walks and time on the shore can bring the story to life, without disturbing the seabed.

If diving is allowed at a site, follow the local rules and never take anything. Rules can change, so check locally before you go.

For more ideas, see our Sweden ocean guide. You may also like what respect looks like at a wreck.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.