wreck

Log This Dive

Ocean Revival Park

The Ocean Revival Park, off Alvor in the Algarve, is one of our top picks for wreck diving in Europe. Four Portuguese Navy ships, scuttled specifically for divers, sit upright on the sandy seabed, creating a fantastic artificial reef. Our favourite is the **Zambeze**, a patrol boat, because the wheelhouse is still intact. You can swim right through it, imagining the crew on watch. We’ve seen schools of sardine so dense they shimmered like quicksilver around the superstructures, and often find conger eels peering from dark corners. On the larger **Hermenegildo Capelo** frigate, the sheer scale is impressive. There are multiple deck levels to explore, and the bow gun is still in place, now covered in sponges. Expect depths from 10m on the mast tops down to 32m on the sand, so it’s best for intermediate divers with some wreck experience. Conditions are generally calm, but visibility can vary. We always aim for a slack tide dive; it makes navigating the interiors much easier. Keep an eye out for loggerhead turtles cruising by in the blue. This site feels less like a graveyard and more like a vibrant, living museum.