About Us
Based in Cape Town, Wreckless Marine is a private company established to facilitate ocean exploration and increase the knowledge of what lies beneath the seas.
Explore, discover, connect and share.
It is our mission to explore the South African coast and discover new areas of interest that are valuable to the field of marine science. We collaborate with like-minded institutions and individuals such as marine biologists, oceanographers, geoscientists, and maritime archaeologists.
The team
Bruce henderson
Founder, Skipper and Diver
Bruce has been diving and sailing since the mid 1980s. He holds a SAMSA Category A Skipper Offshore certificate of competency for vessels over 9m and is a SAS Yacht Master. He is an IANTD Technical Instructor with trimix certifications for open and closed-circuit diving. An avid mariner and diver, Bruce founded Wreckless Marine in 2020 to further pursue these passions.
BEN henderson
Lead Surveyor
Ben is a SAMSA Category B Skipper Offshore and an IANTD technical diver. After completing his initial studies at the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town he joined Wreckless Marine and trained as a hydrographic surveyor. He took on the role of lead surveyor in January 2022, responsible for surveying and data management. He is currently enrolled on the MSc Applied Ocean Sciences programme at the University of Cape Town and expects to graduate in February 2025
Victor öblOm
Survey Intern and Diver
Victor is a survey trainee and the most recent addition to the team. He previously completed an internship with BlueFlash as a drysuit repair technician. He is a qualified Divemaster and recently obtained his technical diver certifications through Wreckless Marine. He has travelled extensively and worked in various parts of the world, including Indonesia, where he has done most of his diving. He is fascinated with the world of seafloor mapping, shipwrecks, and technical diving.
grant whitford
Skipper
Grant is a vastly experienced skipper and navigator. He qualified as an H1 hydrographic surveyor with the Royal Navy and served in the South African Navy as a senior survey officer and bridge watch keeper aboard the SAS Protea. Grant is a CMAS and IANTD certified instructor and technical diver. As a keen wreck diver, he found and documented several previously lost Western Cape shipwrecks. Grant is also the owner of Blue Flash, a dive charter and dry suit services business, based in Cape Town.
kelly graham
Researcher and Diver
Kelly Graham is an IANTD-qualified technical diver and holds a SAMSA Category C skipper’s certificate. To pursue her passion for local shipwrecks, she joined the Wreckless Marine team as a researcher. She is particularly interested in the use of digitisation technologies, and intellectual property for heritage research and dissemination. After graduating with an LLM from the University of Cape Town, she entered private practice before becoming a legal consultant.
Our Vessels
Wreckless
Wreckless is a 7.3m Gemini RIB powered by two 150 HP Yamaha outboard motors. It serves as a dive boat and general marine services vessel that provides quick and easy access to anywhere along the South African coastline.
Wreckless II
Wreckless II, is a 13m Bobkat catamaran, built by Two Oceans Marine. In 2020 it underwent a complete refit as a research and dive vessel. The refit included the installation of two new 440 HP Yanmar inboard engines, a 100 l/hr water-maker, a Bauer Oceanus dive compressor and a diver lift.