Istria · Croatia · Wreck
Maona
A 40 m cargo wreck on the sand off the San Giovanni light
Area photo: Tanya Dedyukhina · CC BY 3.0
A small cargo vessel lying in 30 to 35 metres a short distance from the San Giovanni lighthouse, off the coast at Rovinj. At 40 metres from end to end she is described as a relatively simple dive in good visibility, which in practice means one circuit covers her. Operators take Advanced Open Water divers with at least 40 logged dives.
Also known as Maona Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
45.0344° N, 13.6444° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is a short way from the lighthouse of San Giovanni, Sv. Ivan, off the coast at Rovinj, and the wreck lies in 30 to 35 metres of water. You arrive on the shallow end of the hull at around 30 metres, and because she is only 40 metres from bow to stern a single circuit takes in the whole vessel rather than a section of it.
The depth rather than the wreck sets the limits here. The sand around her is at 35 metres, so no-stop time is short and the dive is planned as one unhurried lap with a margin kept in hand, not a long rummage. The sources describe her as a straightforward wreck when the visibility is good, and operators run her for Advanced Open Water divers with 40 dives behind them.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Maona
- Type
- Small cargo vessel
- Length
- 40 m (131 ft)
- Cause
- Not established in the available sources
- Lies
- In 30 to 35 m, a short distance from the San Giovanni (Sv. Ivan) lighthouse off Rovinj
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Istria: The main season runs 1 May to 31 October; the sea passes 20°C from mid-June to September, and a few sites are diveable only outside the high season.
Know before you go
- At 30 to 35 m the no-stop clock runs fast on a small wreck that is easy to over-explore. Plan a single lap and hold a gas reserve for the ascent.
Sources
- Maona, wreck — Scubago
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