wreck

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IPIMAR wreck

The IPIMAR wreck, off the Algarve coast, isn't just another sunken ship. For us, it’s a proper dive into Portuguese maritime history. We love that it was a research vessel, lost in a storm, now resting upright at about 30 meters. The ship itself is fairly intact, so you get a real sense of its former life. You can poke around the bridge area, peer into companionways, and imagine the scientists who once worked there. Currents here can be lively, so we’d suggest this one for advanced divers comfortable with a bit of drift. The visibility often hits 15-20 meters on a good day, painting the wreck in shifting blues and greens. What makes the IPIMAR truly special for us, though, is how nature has reclaimed it. Schools of sea bream shimmer around the superstructure, while resident conger eels peer out from dark nooks. We’ve spotted octopus draped over exposed metalwork and nudibranchs adding pops of colour to the rust. It's a proper adventure, a dive that tells a story, and frankly, one of our favourite Algarve wrecks.