Steamboat Wreck
- Trail Conditions: Diving
History
In the south-east of Mal di Ventre Island in front of Cala Dei Pastori, easily recognizable for the presence of a ruin, at 18 meters of depth in the middle of a large Posidonia grassland there is the relict of a small steamboat. About 25m long and 4 meter wide, the wreck is probably what remains of a ship used for the transport of persons and goods from Oristano to Alghero, but neither the date nor the cause of the shipwreck are known.
Main features
The wreck is surrounded by spots of detritus and by the grassland of Posidonia. Covered by photophilic seaweeds, it swerved on the left side and the structures of the deck are no longer in their place. From the opening in the middle of the deck it is possible to observe the boiler room, but there's no trace of the steam machine. The stern lacks the also the propeller, while the rudder is completely rolled. In the fore, part of the plates of the broadside have disappeared, and you can observe the empty interior.
It is possible to access the area of the boiler room carefully, but there are no particularly interesting features. The wreck attracts several organisms and it is possible to sight the quick greater amberjacks looking for preys. If you look carefully, on the hydrozoans growing on the plates it is possible to observe several species of nudibranchs.
