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Wooden fishing boats moored in green water below forested hills and houses at Barra da Lagoa — Florianópolis & Ilha do Xavier

Florianópolis & Ilha do Xavier · Brazil · Artificial reef

Alalunga VII

A tuna boat lost in January 2008 beside Ilha do Xavier

Area photo: Andreia Reis from São Paulo, Brasil · CC BY 2.0

The Alalunga VII is a tuna boat that sank in January 2008 beside two small rocky islets next to Ilha do Xavier. Its bow lay at 23 m when divers first found it in May 2008, and the operator that described it has found it only twice, so little is known about how it lies today.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Alalunga VII: typical dive to 23 m (to 75 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit23 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Florianópolis & Ilha do Xavier and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The wreck lies beside two small islets with rocks around them, next to Ilha do Xavier. The tuna boat Alalunga VII went down there in January 2008, and the dive is a descent to the hull beside the rocks, with the bow at 23 m. Ilha do Xavier itself lies off Praia Mole and is reached through the Barra da Lagoa channel.

When divers first found the wreck in May 2008, the bow lay at 23 m and the hull had not yet settled on the bottom, and the boat made eerie noises. The operator that described it has found it only twice, and nothing has been published about the cause of the sinking or the size of the boat, so how the wreck lies today is unknown.

Background

The Alalunga VII was a tuna boat. It sank in January 2008 beside two small rocky islets next to Ilha do Xavier. When divers first found the wreck in May 2008, its bow lay at 23 m and the hull had not yet settled on the bottom. No cause of the sinking, length or build year has been published.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Alalunga VII
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Season follows Florianópolis & Ilha do Xavier: November to April is the best season; diving carries on all year, but a colder, nutrient-rich current can darken the water in the other months.

Know before you go

  • The hull had not settled on the bottom when it was found in May 2008, and little has been published about its state since.

Dive videos

Mergulho no naufrágio Alalunga VII Ilha do Xavier, Florianópolis GoPro Hero 3 · Fabio Lopes on YouTube

Sources

  1. Conhecendo os pontos de mergulho de Santa Catarina — Brasil Mergulho

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