SHORE DIVES

Cabo de Palos is one of the most diverse and attractive immersion areas in the Spanish coast for scuba diving thanks to it’s underwater landscapes, the clarity of it’s waters, a constant ambient temperature, more than 300 sunny days a year, it’s morphology and a vast number of reasons more that make it very special.

In our coast we can enjoy immersions full of light, colour

and unique rocky formations. It’s home to the typical Mediterranean life and the great extensions of Neptune grass prairies are the nursery for the new generations.

Discover the marvels of the immersions in the coast of Cabo de Palos.

2 shore dives with equipment and air 110 Euros,

Insurance if required 10 Euros per day

Equipment hire 20E

You must be 12 years or older and be Open Water or above and meet the medical requirements

BOAT DIVE TO NARANJITO

LOCATION AND ACCESS:

It’s approximately a mile and a half away from the port of Cabo de Palos in open sea, very near the SW buoy that delimits the Marine Reserve but outside of it. Right now there is an anchoring on the prow that will lead us to the anchor winch at -28 meters (-91,8 feet) and another one that will lead us to the navigation bridge at -32 meters (-104,9 feet). It is only accessible by boat.

DEPTH: -28 meters (-91,8 feet) / -45 meters (147,6 feet)

SAILED: 1928 -1943

LENGTH: 51 meters (167,3 feet)

MINIMUM DEGREE: ADVANCED DIVER / Nitrox recommended.

HISTORY OF THE SHIPWRECK:

In 1926 the whole “IR” series (the “Nadir” and it’s brothers “Amir”, “Gadir”, “Menhir” and “Ophir”) is bought by the company Maskor, affiliated of the just created CAMPSA. They are all transformed to carry oil and the name of the Nadir is changed to “Magurio”. In 1935 it acquires it’s final name, “Isla de Gomera”, after being sold again, this time to the shipowner Padrón Saavedra that uses it to transport diverse cargo all over the Spanish coast for years until it’s sinking in 1943.

The night of the 13th to the 14th of April of 1943, while doing the route from Cartagena to Barcelona, with some rough water and fog, the “Isla Gomera” sinks quickly because of a leak on the port side. Like the captain declared: “The ship keeled over roughly and suddenly. Immediately the port side started to sink and, finding myself at the bridge with helmsman Valentín L.G., I only had time to grab a life vest. I jumped in the water when everything from the bridge to the port side was already underwater. It disappeared in less than a minute. I was left in the water holding onto orange boxes that were floating, hearing the voices of some crewmembers that stayed afloat thanks to other orange boxes. We stayed adrift until, with daylight, a fishing boat rescued us and took us to Cabo de Palos, where we received assistance from the coast authorities.”

The ship took of from Cartagena heading to Barcelona transporting a shipment of oranges already a bit unbalanced according to some witnesses. The rough waters caused the shipment to move and made the ship crash and turn around, sinking very quickly less than a mile away from Cabo de Palos port. Only some wooden remains of the bridge and the shipment of oranges remained afloat. One of the sailors braved the cold waters and swam to the port, which was completely empty. He then walked to the lighthouse and finally warned the lighthouse keeper about the sinking. Meanwhile the other crewmembers stayed in the water holding onto the wood of the bridge.

It is said that the rescue in the morning was delayed because there was no motorboats in Cabo de Palos port in those years and it was all done in small rowing and sailing boats, in very harsh conditions due to the rough sea that had moved the cargo and sunk the “Nadir” in the first place. The cold was the cause for most of the death victims, the wife of the engine driver among them. She had gotten on the ship behind the captain’s back in what was going to be her first time sailing, eager to visit Barcelona. For weeks there were oranges arriving at the shore. They served as nourishment for all those post-war hungry people and that made the shipwreck be known as “el Naranjito“ (the little orange).

CONDITIONS: The “Nadir” is in navigation position on a sandy seabed at -36 to -45 (-118,1 to -147,6 feet) meters depth and it’s in very good state of preservation. It’s structure is complete, in spite of some bulkheads and sheets that have broken with time. The current from South to North is frequent and depending on visibility (that maintains almost all year round at 25 meters/82 feet) the immersion is not complicated in spite of the depth.

#TRANSPORT TO DIVE SITE, BOAT AND AIR AND SHORE DIVE 130 EUROS.

If you wish to dive on Nitrox not air for maximum bottom time a charge of 10 Euros.

we run a 3 hour Nitrox course before diving if you wish to certified.

INSURANCE IF REQUIRED 10E if required.

Equipment hire 20E if required,

MARINE RESERVE BOAT DIVE

Cabo de Palos diving Reserve is the Mediterranean’s jewel. A submerged mountain range, end of the Betic Mountain Range, with different diving areas, each more attractive than the last.

It’s depths are composed by great Posidonia Oceanica praries and several bajos (underwater mountains): the Testa, the Piles, the Bajo de Dentro, Las Agujas, etc. There we can find the typical Mediterranean species that have great ecological value.

You could say that we can get to see a great variety of sea life: barracudas, brown meagers (croaker fish), common dentex, groupers (unique to the area due to their big size), mola molas (ocean sunfish), pelagic fish, violescent sea whip fields and much more.

The Marine Reserve was declared in 1995 and since then it’s life and beauty grows each day. It’s demarcated by bouys in the sorroundings of Cabo de Palos and Islas Hormigas and it has a size of 18,98 km2 (7,32 square miles). It contains a fully protected reserve in the surroundings of Isla Hormiga, the Bajo del Mosquito and the smaller islands of El Hormigón and La Losa.

Currently the Cabo de Palos Marine Reserve is considered the best diving destination in Europe.

2 DIVES INCLUDING EQUIPMENT AIR, BOAT AND TRANSFERS 130 EUROS (please be aware a tax of 5 Euros is payable on entry to Marine Reserve, this is not a charged by ourselves this a government tax)

10E INSURANCE 20E EQUIPMENT HIRE IF REQUIRED

MUST BE ADVANCED DIVER AND 12 YEARS AND OVER