Algarve · Portugal · Wreck · Artificial reef
NRP Zambeze
A navy patrol boat scuttled in 2012, quoted at 28 m
A Portuguese Navy patrol boat sunk on 30 October 2012, one of the four ships that make up the Ocean Revival underwater park off the Algarve coast. The park is marked on the surface by signalling buoys, and WeDive in Lagos gives the site a depth of 28 m, at the deeper end of recreational range.
Also known as Navio Zambeze.
Where it is and how deep
37.0960° N, 8.5982° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Boats pick up one of the signalling buoys that mark the park on the surface and you drop down the line onto the patrol boat. The dive itself is straightforward: swim the length of the deck, look over the bow and the stern, and keep enough of the short 28 m bottom time in hand to work back around the superstructure to the line rather than ascending away from it.
WeDive lists 28 m here, so the profile is square and the bottom time short on air. She was put down on 30 October 2012 as an artificial reef for the Ocean Revival project, the same day as the corvette Oliveira e Carmo, and the two lie a few hundred metres apart on the same stretch of seabed.
The wreck
- Vessel
- NRP Zambeze (P1147)
- Type
- Patrol boat
- Sunk
- 2012
- Cause
- Scuttled as an artificial reef for the Ocean Revival project
- Lies
- On the Ocean Revival site off the Algarve coast, with the wreck given a depth of 28 m
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Algarve: May–Oct is the settled season with the clearest water; Atlantic swell and cold water shut most operations over winter.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Zambeze wreck?+
WeDive in Lagos lists the site at 28 m, so the seabed alongside the patrol boat is at the deeper end of recreational range and the dive is planned as a square profile.
Sources
- Navio Zambeze (Wreck) — Scubago
- WeDive Lagos — dive sites — WeDive Lagos
- List of ships of the Portuguese Navy — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
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