A US P-47 Thunderbolt fighter from the Second World War rests on a posidonia bed at 17–19 m off Miomo, just north of Bastia. It is the corridor's signature wreck: shallow, described as well preserved, and diveable either by boat or straight from the shore near the village cemetery.
Also known as P47 de Miomu, P-47 de Miomo.
Where it is and how deep
42.7469° N, 9.4676° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Descend onto the posidonia meadow and the airframe shows up almost at once — the average depth is about 17 m, with the aircraft itself settled on the seagrass at 19 m. The cockpit canopy stands open, and the wreck has been colonised by grouper, octopus and morays. Current is normally low, under a knot, and visibility is often rated excellent at better than 30 m, so the whole outline of the fighter is readable from above.
The aircraft alone does not fill a dive at this depth, and the standard plan carries on across the surrounding seabed: several rocks lie around the crash site and the dive continues over them, with seagrass in between. It works as a boat dive — Bastia is about 4.5 km away — or as a relaxed shore dive, entering roughly 200 m from the Miomo cemetery and navigating out over the posidonia. The listed experience level is CMAS 2*/AOW, though the depth itself stays under 20 m.
The wreck
- Vessel
- P-47 Thunderbolt
- Type
- US single-seat WWII fighter aircraft
- Cause
- Hit during a wartime mission and forced to ditch in the sea
- Lies
- On a posidonia bed at 19 m off Miomo, cockpit canopy open
The fighter was hit while flying a wartime mission and had to ditch off the coast; the open canopy suggests the pilot got out of the sinking aircraft. It is one of two P-47 Thunderbolts diveable on this stretch of Cap Corse — the second lies deeper, at 30 m off Santa Severa — and its decades on the seabed have turned this one into a small artificial reef, with grouper, octopus and morays in residence.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Bastia & Cap Corse (East Coast): Centres run year round, but the sea tops 20 °C only from June to October; January–March sit at 14–15 °C.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Miomo P-47 wreck?+
The aircraft lies on a posidonia bed at 19 m, with a typical dive depth of about 17 m.
Can you dive the Miomo P-47 from shore?+
Yes — the shore entry is roughly 200 m from the Miomo cemetery. It is also run as a boat dive from Bastia, about 4.5 km away.
Sources
- Wannadive — P-47 Thunderbolt — Wannadive.net
- Scubago — P47 'Thunderbolt' — Scubago
- Corsica Sub — Sites de plongée — Corsica Sub
More dive sites in Bastia & Cap Corse (East Coast)
Wreck
A WWII bomber, 'Yehunde', on the seabed at 63 m
Reef
A 2–12 m slope with a colourful drop-off at the surface
Pinnacle
A rocky peak off Bastia's harbour mouth, 22 m down to 44 m
Reef
Imposing grouper circle the rocks down to 35 m
Reef
Grouper, barracuda and fan mussels on rocks at 18–20 m
Reef
Rocks from 8 to 35 m with grouper, barracuda and fan mussels
Wreck
A second WWII fighter at 30 m, ringed by thirty corb
Pinnacle
A big rock at 16 m with grouper, morays and John Dory
Similar dives elsewhere
A shot-down jet fighter scattered over 50 by 50 m at 19 m
A burned wooden steamer on sand at 16–17 m, dived at Open Water level
An intact light aircraft on the bottom between 16 and 22 m
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A 2018 wreck at 20 m, still being colonised