Cap d'Agde · France · Wreck
Épave de l'Obéron
A 25 m cod boat lost in a storm in 1913, on 12 m of sand
Area photo: Christian Ferrer · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Oberon is a 25 m cod boat that went down in a storm on 18 February 1913 and lies on a 12 m sand bottom off Marseillan, at the eastern end of the Cap d'Agde ground. The dive runs 9–12 m, the hull is still in reasonable condition, and the years have made a reef of it: congers in the plating, octopus, crabs and lobsters through the wreckage.
Also known as Epave de l'Oberon, Oberon Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
43.3362° N, 3.5822° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Obéron lies on sand off Marseillan with 12 m of water over it, and the dive runs 9–12 m, so it is a wreck you can spend a long time on. The hull is 25 m long and still in reasonable condition, which makes its shape easy to read: one slow lap around the outside at the sand line, then a second pass higher over the structure with whatever time is left.
What has grown on it is the reason it is still dived. Congers hold in the plating, octopus tuck into the gaps, and crabs and lobsters are through the wreckage. It is dived from the outside — no survey of the inside is published — and the shallow depth makes it a first wreck that needs none of the usual caveats about narcosis or gas planning.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Obéron
- Type
- Cod-fishing boat (morutier)
- Length
- 25 m (82 ft)
- Sunk
- 1913
- Cause
- Sank in a storm on 18 February 1913
- Lies
- On a 12 m sand bottom off Marseillan, still in reasonable condition
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cap d'Agde: Abyss Plongée opens March to December; the sea averages 12 °C in February and 22 °C in August, and the Tramontane or Mistral can stop the boats in any month.
Questions divers ask
Can beginners dive the Obéron wreck?+
Scubago rates it as suitable for beginners and for photographers: it lies on a 12 m sand bottom, the dive runs 9–12 m, and it is dived from the outside.
Sources
- Epave de l'Obéron — Scubago (SSI MyDiveGuide)
- Sites de plongée — Abyss Plongée
More dive sites in Cap d'Agde
Reef
White gorgonian at 35–40 m, dived on technical setups
Reef
A sheltered 7 m dive beside the Deux Frères rocks
Reef
Two 2 m blocks where a dive can count fifty spiny lobsters
Reef
Coralligenous rocks at 18–19 m west of the Brescou rock
Reef
Faults and overhangs in two coralligenous blocks at 21 m
Reef
Nine coralligenous reefs at 20–24 m, linked by guide wires
A run of coralligenous rock on a 21 m bottom
Reef
Black volcanic rock in 3–11 m, with octopus through the holes
Similar dives elsewhere
A hollow 12 m cistern alone on the sand at 11 m
A 6 m wreck with propeller and rudder on show, snorkelled as often as dived
A shot-down jet fighter scattered over 50 by 50 m at 19 m
A wartime Flying Fortress upright on clean sand at 25–28 m