Laje de Santos · Brazil · Wreck · Artificial reef
Moreia Wreck
An iron fishing boat scuttled to seed an artificial reef
Photo: Rafa Tecchio · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Moreia is an iron fishing boat deliberately sunk near the east point of Laje de Santos to create an artificial reef and draw fish and diving tourism to the park. It lies in 22 m and has been colonised in the years since. The hull is now very unstable, so the dive is a circuit of the outside rather than a penetration.
Also known as Naufrágio do Moréia, Naufrágio Moréia.
Where it is and how deep
24.3197° S, 46.1770° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck sits close to the east point of the Laje — on the left as boats come out from Santos — in 22 m of water. It is an iron fishing boat, stripped of its engine, propeller and navigation systems before it went down, and the two metal plates carrying its name were taken off the bow, leaving rectangular cutouts you can still find there. A dive here is a circuit of the outside of the hull, and the 22 m maximum keeps the whole thing inside recreational no-stop limits.
The one firm rule is to stay outside it. The structure is now very unstable and the local guidance is explicitly against penetrating the holds, so the dive works the exterior and whatever has grown on it. That growth is the point: the boat was put down here to draw fauna and diving tourism to the park, and the São Paulo state legislature's account of the park counts it among the places where marine life concentrates.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Moreia
- Type
- Iron fishing boat
- Sunk
- 1990
- Cause
- Deliberately scuttled to create an artificial reef and attract fauna and diving tourism
- Lies
- Near the east point of the Laje de Santos, in 22 m
The Moreia was an abandoned iron fishing boat from the Bertioga area. Its owner donated the hull once the engine, propeller and navigation systems had been stripped out for another vessel, and the dive operator Clóvis Benno de Carvalho sank it off the Laje to attract fauna and diving tourism. Brasil Mergulho, which traced the operation, dates the sinking to 1990, citing a diver's logbook entry for a dive on the wreck on 1 December 1990; Jornada Sub and Wikipedia both print 1995 instead.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Laje de Santos: Autumn and winter (Mar–Sep) bring the clearest water and the manta ray aggregation; summer is warmer but rain and runoff cut visibility, and strong wind can close the park to boats.
Know before you go
- The hull is described as very unstable and penetration of the holds is advised against, so the dive stays on the outside of the wreck throughout.
Photos from Moreia Wreck
mlsouza85@hotmail.co… · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Naufrágio: "Moréia" - Maio de 2023 · JambaDive on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can you go inside the Moreia wreck?+
No. The structure is described as very unstable and penetration into the holds is advised against, so dives here work the outside of the hull only.
How deep is the Moreia wreck?+
The maximum depth on the wreck is 22 m, published by both Jornada Sub and Brasil Mergulho, which keeps a dive here within recreational no-stop limits.
Sources
- Conheça os pontos de Mergulho da Laje de Santos — Jornada Sub
- Laje de Santos Marine State Park — Wikipedia
- Laje de Santos — pontos de mergulho — Brasil Mergulho
- A origem do Naufrágio Moreia da Laje de Santos — Brasil Mergulho
- Naufrágio Moreia — afinal, quando ele afundou? — Brasil Mergulho
- Parque Estadual Marinho da Laje de Santos — Assembleia Legislativa de São Paulo
Photo credits
- Diver hovering beside the mossy iron bow of the Moréia wreck underwater by Rafa Tecchio, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Long grey granite ridge of the Laje de Santos islet seen low across the water by mlsouza85@hotmail.co…, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Laje de Santos
A shallow rock at the islet's edge where turtles gather
A U-shaped passage under an arch that stands above the water
Fishing anchors lost in the boulders off the Laje's west side
Similar dives elsewhere
A 36 m fishing boat at about 22 m with a hull prepared for entry
The park's shallowest hull, at about 18 m and minutes from town
A 35 m fishing boat at about 24 m, prepared for divers to enter
Wartime landing ship with cranes and holds, home to turtles and rays