Melania wreck - Portofino & Liguria

The Melania wreck, just off Portofino, isn’t some pristine, intact vessel. It’s more of a scattered collection of steel, a cargo ship that hit the rocks in the 1960s. We love it because it’s a proper dive into history, a good contrast to the usual reef dives you find around here. You start shallow, maybe 15 metres, tracing the debris field down the slope. What makes it special for us is how the sea has completely taken over. Big sections of hull are now encrusted with gorgonians, bright red and orange against the grey metal. Look closely and you’ll find moray eels tucked into every crevice. We’ve had some fantastic encounters with lobsters here too, their antennae waving from under plates of steel. The bow section is our favourite, often swarming with schools of damselfish. It’s not a penetration dive, more of an exploration of an artificial reef. Currents can pick up, so check conditions, but on a calm day, it’s a brilliant dive for anyone comfortable with a bit of depth and keen to see how nature reclaims its own.

Location

Portofino & Liguria, Italy, Mediterranean & Europe

Coordinates

43.300823, 10.461044

Type

wreck

Marine Protected Area: Calafuria - Area terrestre e marina