here is an elite group of New Yorkers who search for buried treasure, seek out uncharted territory, retrieve trinkets from sunken ships and delve stealthily into the murky history of this city's waters. Who are these modern-day adventurers: they are New York City scuba divers.

The waters of New York may not be every sportsman's dream spot, but for nearly 1,000 extreme scuba divers in the area, the plethora of sunken ships and other wrecks in an area called "Wreck Valley" between Long Island and New Jersey is a paradise.

"There are literally thousands of wrecks out there," said Daniel Berg, author of several books on New York wreck diving. "There are artificial reefs, German submarines, tugboats, prohibition rum runners, passenger liners, schooners, a little bit of everything."

Dinnerware found on The Black Warrior, a steam ship that ran aground off Rockaway in 1859. PHOTO: Dan Berg

The multitude of wrecks in the New York waters, reveal the history of this great shipping port. One favorite dive spot is a German submarine, which attacked a U.S. ship in the waning days of World War II. The sumbarine was then sunk by American warships. Now the U-boat rests upright in 130 feet of water off Block Island. To this day, there are rumors that a hidden treasure is buried within the sub.

cuba divers who go to many of these wrecks face strong currents, dangerous depths and frigid waters. In the winter, they suit up in bulky dry suits which don't let any water touch the skin, carry heavy tanks of mixed gases and often perform complicated dives, yet many of these seemingly kamikaze-divers go out at least once a week, even during the dead of winter.

"They're called techie divers, for technical," explains Orlando Abreus, an avid diver who teaches water safety to the police and federal agents among others. "Those are the guys who dive with two tanks. You do not get the basic individual, Caribbean divers, going up here as much."

Bob Werner, a self-described techie diver, looks like a man of the sea, with a rugged complexion and what looks like a two-day old beard. Werner has been navigating New York's waters for over 30 years and smiles wryly when pressed for an explanation of why he continues to dive in these extreme conditions, "It's a very addictive sport," he says. "It's a good clean addiction."

Werner and several of his buddies dive year-round. He's an avid treasure-hunter and has retrieved a number of trinkets from the sea including pottery, metal serving dishes and a porthole.

Lobster fishing is a huge draw for divers in the area. The creatures make their homes in or near the sunken wrecks and many people catch them for a fresh dinner. Some divers are drawn to the sport for the challenge and try to conquer the deepest wrecks, while others are intrigued by the history under the sea.

Bernie Chowdhury who publishes Immersed, a technical dive magazine says, "I was immediately fascinated by the ship wrecks. They each tell a different story. Why did they end up down there? Becauseof government decisions? Human errors? Tragedies? What fascinates me is the human drama in a shipwreck."

Each wreck has a unique story. Divers find that drifting through the dark waters can be spiritual, a connection to the past, like taking a step back in time.

"The thing about dives up here, it's like going to a museum to me," says Abreus. "This stuff you can't see in a museum. You have to go down there to get it."

The U.S.S. San Diego was an American Amored Cruiser built in 1907. She was over 500 feet long and nearly 70 feet wide and was part of Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. She was sunk by an unconfirmed source, thought to be a German submarine, on July 19, 1918. She was the only major warship the United States lost during World War I. PHOTO: National Archives

The oldest known wreck in "Wreck Valley" is the H.M.S. Culloden, a wooden English warship that sunk in a storm in 1781. Today, the Culloden sits in 20 feet of water, the skeleton of the ship still visible along with four rusted canons and several canon balls. PHOTO: National Archives

"When you become a diver up here, it's a social event. You spend time with the other divers. Everybody's talking about the big lobster that got away. Good diving is like eating ice cream on a hot day" —Bob Werner PHOTO: Marla Lehner

When diving deeper than 130 feet, in a wreck or in a cave, divers carry two tanks. Each tank is connected to a separate regulator, the breathing apparatus, just in case there is a malfunction. Running out of air or coming up too quickly could be fatal. PHOTO: Marla Lehner

Source:" Wreck Valley" and "Long Island Shore Diver"