Sagres Wrecks

The exposed headland of Sagres at Europe's southwestern tip has claimed numerous vessels over the centuries, and several now rest on mixed sand and rocky seabed between 18 and 35 metres. The most dived is the MS Boia — a coastal cargo vessel sunk deliberately as an artificial reef — whose hull is rapidly being colonised by gorgonian sea fans, nudibranchs, and schools of chromis and damselfish. Cold upwelling around the cape delivers nutrients that sustain large predatory fish, including blue sharks that appear seasonally and Atlantic bluefin tuna that cross the area during their Mediterranean spawning migration.