Costa da Morte — Fisterra & Malpica

Diving here is boat diving from the ports at either end of the coast. The Fisterra centre works from the Port of Finisterre with its own semi-rigid boat, stays open all year and takes dive bookings whenever divers ask. The Malpica centre sits right on its port, and the wrecks it dives lie about 15 minutes away by boat. Besides its courses, it runs outings for regular divers.

Under the surface the coast is a broken ground of shoals, islands and wrecks. The wrecks are the remains of ships lost over several centuries, from the Magnánimo, a two-deck Spanish warship lost in fog in 1794, to British steamers of the nineteenth century. When the Matthew Cay was found, her hull had collapsed, but the steam engine, boiler, winches, propellers and three large admiralty anchors were preserved. Phytoplankton greens the water in the busy months, yet visibility on this open coast is good compared with other places; the sheltered rías can be dived on more days, but their algae make the water less clear.

The coast suits divers who want wrecks with a story and are comfortable in cool Atlantic water. The Tunstall, a new steamer lost on her maiden voyage from London to China, is the wreck rated at basic level; the Solway and the Magnánimo are advanced dives, and the Matthew Cay is rated very high. Divers drawn by the history ashore can see the Matthew Cay's bell at the Museum of the Sea in Finisterre.