wreck

Log This Dive

BADALONA

Badalona isn't your usual wreck dive, mostly because it’s not really a dive at all. This is a surface snorkel, a chance to get right up close to a piece of history without even getting your hair wet if you don’t want to. We think it’s absolutely brilliant for non-divers or families. The tanker, sunk by a German torpedo in 1941, sits just beneath the waves, its massive hull breaking the surface in places. We’ve spent hours here, just floating above, watching the light play on the rusted metal. You can clearly make out the ship’s structure, the deck plates, and even some of the superstructure reaching up. It’s a strange, almost eerie feeling to be so close to something so large that was once a working vessel. What makes Badalona shine, in our opinion, is how nature has reclaimed it. Barnacles cling to every exposed surface, and small fish, mainly damselfish and wrasse, dart in and out of the shadows cast by the wreckage. It’s a protected spot, so even on breezy days, the water tends to stay calm, offering pretty good visibility for surface viewing. Our tip? Go early in the morning before any boat traffic stirs things up; the calm surface makes for incredible reflections off the metal. It’s a completely different experience from swimming over a deeper wreck; you feel the weight of its history right there.