Byblos, Amchit & Batroun · Lebanon · Wreck
Cement Wreck
A 1939 cement freighter on the sand off Batroun
The Cement Wreck is a small freighter that sank off Batroun in 1939 with a cargo of cement. Also called Captain Michel's boat, it rests on a sandy bottom near the coast at Batroun, and it is the one wreck among the rock and wall sites of this area.
Also known as Cement Freighter Wreck, Captain Michel Boat, Captain Michel’s boat.
Where it is and how deep
34.2909° N, 35.6341° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The descent reaches the top of the wreck at 35 m, its shallowest point. The freighter rests on a sandy bottom at 40 m, so the whole dive is spent in a narrow band at depth, between the hull on the sand and its upper structure.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Cement freighter (Captain Michel's boat)
- Type
- small freighter
- Sunk
- 1939
- Cause
- Foundered overweight with a cement cargo when a porthole was left open in rough sea
- Lies
- On a sandy bottom at 40 m near the coast at Batroun, shallowest point 35 m
The freighter went down in 1939 while carrying tons of cement. She was overloaded, the crew were drunk, and when the sea turned rough they forgot to close a porthole; water came in and the boat sank to 40 m off Batroun. Divers still know the wreck as Captain Michel's boat.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Byblos, Amchit & Batroun: Visibility peaks from September to December as the sea settles; January to March bring the most weather cancellations.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Cement Wreck at Batroun?+
The top of the wreck is at 35 m and the hull rests on sand at 40 m, so the whole dive is spent at depth and needs deep training.
Sources
- Cement Wreck - ScubaGo — ScubaGo
- Wrecks of Lebanon - TDI — TDI SDI
More dive sites in Byblos, Amchit & Batroun
Reef
A rocky training site suited to all diving courses
Wall
Natural stone arches set into the Amchit Wall
Wall
A wall on the Amchit coast that can run as a drift
Reef
A buoy at 16 m with routes west down the slope or north to Bubbles Cliff
Reef
Steel remains from a former factory scattered along the bottom
Reef
Pyramid-shaped structures, one under Dendronephthya soft coral
Wall
A sponge-covered drop-off used for advanced courses
Pinnacle
A lone rocky hill ringed by sand valleys
Similar dives elsewhere
Wreck
Airplane
Kemer & Tekirova · Turkey
A propeller plane sunk on purpose in 2012
The Ghost Ship: an intact 20 m motor-sailboat on sand at 38 m
A scattered cargo wreck on a reef running from 2 m to 35 m
Hull and wings at 40 m, tail 100 m away at 52 m