Get to know the sunken ships of the Costa Brava

Written by Yuliia Kliusa
05/28/2024 10:43:11 en Immersion | 4 comments

Are you passionate about underwater exploration and maritime history? The Costa Brava, with its crystal-clear waters and rich history, is the perfect place to discover sunken ships that tell fascinating stories from the past. In this article, we will take you on a journey through the most impressive sunken ships of the Costa Brava, revealing the secrets and mysteries hidden beneath its waves.

All dives, including wreck dives, require proper preparation of the diver. In this article you will be able to learn about several ships, sunken on the Costa Brava with different levels, which depend on the depth and difficulty of the dive.

Low Difficulty

Boat name: Cotenti

Location: L'Escala

Depth: 6-12 m.History: The ship was built in 1940 and wrecked on September 8, 1963, when it was on its way to be scrapped, due to tramuntana, it broke loose from a tow head and crashed against the rocks from Punta de Cinc Sous after being adrift.

Name of the ship: The Melchuca

Location: Roses/Cala Montjoi

Depth: 5-17 m.

History: The ship was wrecked in 1968, due to a major storm, due to the collision with the Massa d'Ors islet, which caused a major leak. The Captain decided to head towards Roses, but the state of the ship prevented his objective and finally he was shipwrecked in Cala Montjoi in front of l'llot de Bergantí.

Medium Difficulty

Name of the ship: Reggio de Messina

Location: MotgríDepth: 24-32 m.

History: Reggió de Messina transported trains and passengers for many years, its length reached 122 meters and draft 6. In 1987 it was intended to become a party hall to be another attraction during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but it could not be a reality due to a fire. The Generalitat of Catalonia decided to sink it to turn it into a marine biotope about 2 miles from L 'Estartit, near the area of the tip of La Foradada. Over time it has been split and divided into three main parts, listing on the port side.

Ship name: Boreas

Location: Palamós

Depth: 25-32 m.

History: It is a ship with a very curious history. Originally called Pellworn, it was a German deep-sea tugboat that participated in World War II, and at the end of the war it belonged to the United States Navy and finally to a shipping company based in Panama. Although his ultimate goal was to work in oil prospecting, he was used for smuggling and in 1985 he was arrested carrying a large quantity of hashish off the coast of Begur. Requisitioned, it was abandoned in the port of Palamós. After several years, diving centers (Nautilus and La Coma) bought the boat with the intention of sinking it in the Llosa de Palamós, after eliminating dangerous protrusions for divers, and converting it, as it is today, on a wreck with one of the most popular dives on the Costa Brava.

High Difficulty

Name of the boat: El Marmoler

Location: L'Escala

Depth: 32-42 m.

History: It is an Italian ship, which was transporting Marmol, and after a storm it ran aground near Punta Trenca Bracos in May 1971. Its real name is Avvenire, but it became well known as El Marmoler due to the cargo it transported and which it still keeps in its gunwale. It is a dive for experienced divers.

Ship Name: Saint Prosper

Location: Roses

Depth: 37-60 m.

History: It is a French merchant ship, also called an “oiler,” which was shipwrecked in March 1939 when it collided with a mine placed during the Civil War, splitting the ship in half and sinking so quickly that the crew, 27 people, appeared to be alive. not having any chance to escape. At the time of the shipwreck, the ship was carrying 300 tons of crude oil in drums.