An outstanding artificial wreck park which contains several wrecks at different depths, Recife’s wreck park has something for divers of all levels. Located a quick boat ride from the main port, it is an excellent place to enjoy some solid wrecks that provide homes to all kinds of fish, crustaceans, and other marine life. Let’s take a look at five of the park’s best wreck sites.
Lupus
A 34 meter tugboat sitting beneath 36 meters of water, the Lupus is home to brilliant schools of tropical fish, along with turtles, rays, and nurse sharks. Even more exciting, there are several penetration points available which allow access to the engine room and other compartments. Suitable for experienced divers only, and great for photography, this is one wreck you’ll find yourself comparing others to.
Munuano
Deployed as an artificial reef in 2002, and already a stunning underwater coral garden, the Munuano is incredibly colorful and is bursting with local marine life in all shapes and sizes. At 25 meters long, it is not the largest ship in the park or in the Recife area, but it is a favorite with locals and visitors alike due to its easy penetrations as well as to its stunning appearance. Maximum depth is 34 meters.
Servemar X
Just 18 meters long, but fully intact, the Servemar X is a great site for all divers to explore. While newer divers will enjoy the outside of the wreck, those with wreck and technical qualifications can enjoy penetrating the interior, where many compartments still contain items such as bunks and dressers, whose drawers now provide hideouts to small fish and other creatures. Watch for red squirrelfish, grunts, grey angelfish, and roughtail stingrays, to name just a few, and keep an eye out for nurse sharks along the bottom, particularly near the rudder. Maximum depth here is just 25 meters.
Saveiros
When you visit Saveiros, you’ll be stricken by her relatively stark look, which is quite a comparison to some of the more overgrown ships in the park. This hardworking tug was sent on her final voyage to the seabed in 2006, and while she is already developing quite a bit of color, the contrast is interesting. Penetrations are simple and straightforward, and maximum depth here is 29 meters. The wreck is sitting completely upright and is great for photos.
Mercurius
Identical to the Saveiros, the Mercurius was deployed as a dive site in 2007, and is home to schooling fish, including some pelagic visitors and lots of colorful reef species. The ship is ideal for penetration, and sits upright on the sandy bottom, with maximum depth at just 29 meters.
Taurus
Another small tug, the Taurus is a favorite with newer divers, thanks to the fact that maximum depth here is just 24 meters. Completely covered in sponge and little coral growths, the tug has only been here since 2006, yet she is already attracting a colorful array of tropical fish in every color of the rainbow. Watch for turtles, rays, and nurse sharks, too.
The perfect place to get away from it all, Recife is home to almost twenty great wrecks, plus it is surrounded by reefs and little islands that make it the perfect place for divers of all levels to enjoy a great vacation. With topside attractions in abundance, this is a tropical paradise you’ll want to visit more than once.