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Naufragio Blackadder

The Blackadder is a favourite of ours in Salvador, and it’s easy to see why. This 70-metre clipper, sunk in 1905, sits in a remarkably shallow 9 metres, making it accessible to pretty much anyone. The story goes it broke its moorings in a storm and drifted onto the coral at Boa Viagem Beach. We love swimming along the length of it, imagining the sails that once stretched from those three masts. What you get now is a beautifully preserved skeleton of a ship, draped in marine life. Our pick for best time is first thing in the morning; the light filtering through the water around the ribs of the wreck is something else. You’ll weave through schools of mojarras and spot goatfish poking around the sand. Look closely and you’ll often find seahorses clinging to the structure, and we’ve had some fantastic encounters with batfish here. Visibility averages around 8 metres, which is plenty for appreciating the scale of the wreck and the way the corals have started to claim it. It’s a genuinely relaxing dive, perfect for a morning dip before the beach gets busy.