Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas · Spain · Wreck
Sirio
An 1884 emigrant liner, now wreckage dived under reserve permit
Area photo: Marta T López · CC BY-SA 4.0
An Italian passenger steamer of 1884 that struck the shallow reef off Cabo de Palos at full speed in August 1906, with heavy loss of life. Her boilers exploded and the hull broke apart, and the wreckage now lies spread across the bottom inside the marine reserve: the stern and boilers at about 40 m, the bow at about 55 m.
Also known as SS Sirio.
Where it is and how deep
37.6519° N, 0.6529° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies inside the reserve declared in 1995, so this is a booked boat dive out of Cabo de Palos with an authorised centre, under the daily cap on divers and, for the Sirio itself, a permit from the Secretaría General de Pesca. The ship did not sink whole: she drove onto the shallow reef at full speed, her boilers exploded and the hull broke apart, so what is on the bottom is a wreck spread across the rock rather than a single readable ship.
The remains sit at two very different depths. The stern lies with the boilers at about 40 metres, which is the part a deep recreational profile can reach and the natural focus of the dive. The bow lies deeper, at about 55 metres, past recreational limits and a technical dive in its own right. The two are separate objectives rather than one swim, and the route across the wreckage comes from the guide running the boat.
Beyond those depths, little is published about the diving here. No visibility figures, current readings or fixed route specific to the Sirio have been recorded, so what you get on the day comes from the centre's briefing. What is certain is the scale of what is down there: 120 metres of 1884 passenger steamer, on ground that has been protected since 1995 and is dived under guide, quota and permit.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Sirio
- Type
- Italian passenger steamer
- Length
- 120 m (394 ft)
- Built
- 1884
- Sunk
- 1906
- Cause
- Ran aground at full speed on the reef off Hormigas Island; her boilers exploded and the hull broke apart
- Lies
- Broken across the reef: stern and boilers at about 40 m, bow at about 55 m
Robert Napier and Sons of Glasgow built the Sirio for the Genoa–Buenos Aires emigrant run. On 4 August 1906, off Cabo de Palos, she struck the shallow reef at full speed; her stern compartments flooded, her boilers exploded and the hull broke apart. Fishermen from the village ran the rescue, and the boat Joven Miguel under Vicente Buigues took off around 400 people; the death toll has never been fixed, with the usual estimate of about 240 treated as low. The remains have lain inside the marine reserve created around the Islas Hormigas in 1995.
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 | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas: Jun–Oct has the warmest water and the calmest crossings; winter is clearest but cold, and easterly winds close the seamounts year-round.
Know before you go
- The bow at about 55 metres is past recreational limits, with a decompression obligation and gas planning to match; treat it as a technical dive, not an extension of the 40 m stern.
- The hull broke apart rather than settling intact, so the wreckage is collapsed and snag-prone; stay outside the structure unless you are wreck-trained.
Dive videos
El SIRIO, El Titanic de Cabo de Palos. · Toni Rabadan on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Sirio wreck?+
The stern lies with the boilers at about 40 metres and the bow at about 55 metres. The stern is the deep recreational target; the bow is beyond recreational limits and a technical dive.
Do you need a permit to dive the Sirio?+
Yes. Diving inside the Cabo de Palos and Islas Hormigas reserve has been restricted since it was declared in 1995 and runs through authorised centres under a daily diver quota, and visiting the wreck requires permission from the Secretaría General de Pesca.
Sources
- SS Sirio — Wikipedia
- Sirio (1883) — Wikipedia (Spanish)
- Cape Palos — Wikipedia
- Reserva marina de Cabo de Palos e Islas Hormigas — Wikipedia (Spanish)
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