wreck

Log This Dive

VILLE VICTOIRE

The *Ville Victoire* is a proper wreck dive, one we always enjoy when we’re in the Algarve. Lying upright at 20 metres, it’s a relatively intact freighter that went down in 1941, still feeling like a proper ship rather than just a pile of rubble. You can swim through the holds and the engine room, and it’s always interesting to imagine the ship’s final moments. Our favourite time to dive it is first thing in the morning; the light filtering through the open hatches is genuinely beautiful, and it gives the whole place a really atmospheric feel. The wreck itself is now home to a fair amount of life. We’ve seen conger eels poking out from every dark corner, and the deck often has flatfish trying to blend in with the rusty metal. Schools of sea bream will swirl around the superstructure, shimmering silver, and we've even spotted octopus camouflaged against the hull plating. It’s a site that really suits divers who appreciate a bit of history along with their marine encounters. There can be a bit of current sometimes, so good buoyancy is a definite plus for navigating the interior without kicking up too much silt.