MARIA K - Naples & Campania
The Maria K is a standout in Naples, and frankly, our pick for a shallow wreck dive in the region. At just five metres, it’s a brilliant option for divers of all levels, even if you’re just getting comfortable with buoyancy. We love how accessible it is, sitting upright and mostly intact on the seabed, just off the coast. Sunk in 1982 after running aground in a storm, this motor vessel has become a proper artificial reef. You’ll find the bridge structure still largely there, along with the cargo holds, which are now wide open and easy to explore. Sunlight streams in, illuminating schools of damselfish that dart in and out of the rusted metal. Moray eels peek from behind collapsed bulkheads, and we’ve spotted some impressively large groupers taking shelter in the deeper sections of the hull. It’s a photographer’s dream, especially on a sunny day when the light play on the wreck is just gorgeous. Head out in the morning; the water tends to be calmer, and the light is often at its best.
- Location
- Naples & Campania, Italy, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 42.175556, 14.710834
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 5m
Nearby Dive Sites in Naples & Campania
- A. MAVONA - 6m (wreck)
- AMELIA S - 17m (wreck)
- ANNA MARIA JEVOLI - 10m (wreck)
- ANNUNZIATA MADRE - 14m (wreck)
- ASHANTI PALM - 5m (wreck)
- Baia Underwater Archaeological Park
- Banco di Santa Croce - 31m (reef)
- BETTOLINA (POSSIBLY) - 33m (wreck)
- BOA (Secche di Tor Paterno - 24m (reef)
- BOMBARDIERE - 30m (wreck)
- BONACCIA - 48m (wreck)
- Bracciano - 11m
- BRODNESS (PROBABLY) - 58m (wreck)
- Cala dei Turchi
- Cala della pergola
Nearest Dive Centres to MARIA K
Marine Life in Naples & Campania
Home to 142 recorded species including 91 reef fish, 20 sharks & rays, 5 hard corals, 5 other, 4 crabs & lobsters, 4 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) - Jellyfish
- Red coral (Corallium rubrum) - Soft Corals
- pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) - Reef Fish
- European fan-worm (Sabella spallanzanii) - Worms
- Bushy Coral (Cladocora caespitosa) - Hard Corals
- anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) - Reef Fish
- Mediterranean tapeweed (Posidonia oceanica) - Seagrass & Algae
- Herring (Sardinella aurita) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Coris julis) - Reef Fish
- Common Spiny Lobster (Palinurus elephas) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Scarlet Coral (Balanophyllia (Balanophyllia) europaea) - Hard Corals
- Blue-white Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) - Whales & Dolphins
- Garrick (Lichia amia) - Reef Fish
- Common torpedo (Torpedo torpedo) - Sharks & Rays
- Damsel fish (Chromis chromis) - Reef Fish
- Sunset cup coral (Leptopsammia pruvoti) - Hard Corals
- Spotted Dragonet (Callionymus maculatus) - Reef Fish
- Pink Sea Fan (Eunicella verrucosa) - Soft Corals
- eel (Anguilla anguilla) - Reef Fish
- Corkwing (Symphodus melops) - Reef Fish