Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei · Italy · Wreck
Nasello Wreck
An opened-up steamship hull with its engine parts exposed
The Nasello is an Italian steamship sunk by a British submarine in 1943, now lying on sand off Cala Luna, south of Cala Gonone. Gunfire tore the hull open, so divers can see many parts of its machinery, and the dense growth on the steel shelters large scorpionfish, groupers and big moray eels.
Also known as Il Nasello, Nasello.
Where it is and how deep
40.2265° N, 9.6259° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck rests on its port side on a sandy seabed between 30 and 34 m. Shellfire from the submarine tore the hull open, and through the openings divers look into the machinery that drove the ship, with many of its engine parts on view.
The bow and stern sections are both well defined, and at the stern the propeller and rudder are still in place. A thick mixed growth covers the steel, home to large scorpionfish, groupers, slipper lobsters and big moray eels.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Nasello
- Type
- Italian steamship
- Sunk
- 1943
- Cause
- Sunk by gunfire from the British submarine Safari
- Lies
- On its port side on sand between 30 and 34 m off Cala Luna
The Nasello was an Italian steamship. The British submarine Safari left Algiers on 27 March 1943 with orders to patrol south of Sardinia, and on 3 April it sank the Nasello and the S. Francisco di Paola A with gunfire off the Gulf of Orosei. The shells tore the hull apart, which is why its engine parts lie open today.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei: Mid-May to the end of October is the main season; August brings the warmest water.
Dive videos
Diving the Nasello wreck · Sardinia Divers Orosei on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How long is the boat ride to the Nasello wreck?+
15 to 20 minutes south from the port of Cala Gonone to the waters off Cala Luna.
Sources
- Il Nasello - Bluforia Diving Center — Bluforia Diving Center
- Scuba diving - Argonauta — Argonauta
- HMS Safari (P211) — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
Reef
A shore dive among large, colourful rock formations
Cave & cavern
Surfacing inside air chambers in the rock
White sand and turquoise water in front of Cala Luna
Wreck
The stern gun of a wartime German cargo ship, still in place
Cave & cavern
A fully submerged tunnel 25 m long and 10 m wide
Drift
A drift over rock formations off Osalla Beach
Similar dives elsewhere
A 40 m fishing boat wreck in a restricted park zone
Groupers on the scrapped hull of a ship thought lost in the Gallipoli campaign
A WWII heavy fighter at 33 m, found in 2007 after a year-long search
A small boat at 18 m with mast and boxes intact, two more hulls at 27 m




