Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália · Santa Cruz Cabrália, Brazil · Wreck
Castor
A cargo ship broken in three on the reef, propeller and rudder at 15 m
The Castor is a 79-metre cargo motor ship that ran aground on the Coroa Vermelha reefs off Santa Cruz Cabrália in 1984 and broke into three sections. It lies across the reef down to 15 m, its hull heavily colonised and visited by angelfish, moray eels and goliath grouper. Strong currents and often murky water make it a summer dive.
Also known as N/M Castor.
Where it is and how deep
16.3445° S, 38.9775° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The ship rests on the bottom at right angles to the reef, broken into three sections: the first fracture is behind the forecastle and the second in front of the superstructure. Part of the bow lies heeled over to port with its V-shaped masts fallen the same way, and on the starboard side of the bow the letters STOR of the ship's name can still be read. One anchor and its chain lie on the reef beside it.
Amidships, the second set of V-shaped masts has fallen across the deck, and what is left of the holds still contains part of the cargo of steel pipes. A skylight sits above the engine room, where the compressed-air starting cylinders are visible. Nothing remains of the superstructure itself, but the H-shaped masts that stood in front of it still break the surface and mark the site.
The stern is the most complete section, with part of the superstructure fallen to port. The stern deck lies at about 10 m, and the rudder and propeller sit at 15 m, the deepest point of the wreck. The steel is heavily colonised and the fauna is varied, with angelfish, moray eels and goliath grouper around the hull. Strong currents and frequently turbid water make the dive harder, and summer gives the best conditions.
The wreck
- Vessel
- N/M Castor
- Type
- Steel-hulled cargo motor ship
- Length
- 79 m (259 ft)
- Sunk
- 1984
- Cause
- Ran aground on the Coroa Vermelha reefs, broke up and flooded
- Lies
- Perpendicular to the reef in three sections, at up to 15 m
Built at Rio de Janeiro yards, the Castor was a 3,040-tonne coastal cargo ship. In 1984 it was carrying 2,448 tonnes of iron pipes for Petrobras from Vitória to Salvador when, with its radar out, a strong south-westerly wind and poor visibility, it ran aground at 3 a.m. on a sandbank off Coroa Vermelha. Attempts to refloat it failed, the hull split and the holds flooded, and the crew abandoned ship on 15 September. Most of the cargo was later recovered, leaving about 600 tonnes of steel pipes aboard, and the Castor finally sank on 18 October 1984.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália: November to April brings the clearest water and the least wind; December to February is the busy summer season, when dives are best booked 15 to 30 days ahead.
Know before you go
- Strong currents run over the wreck; the dive is best planned for summer, when conditions are most favourable.
- The water is often turbid on the wreck.
Dive videos
Mergulho Porto Seguro - Naufragio Castor · Victoria Panero on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Castor wreck?+
The rudder and propeller, the deepest parts of the wreck, are at 15 m. The stern deck lies at about 10 m.
When is the best time to dive the Castor?+
Summer, when conditions are most favourable. Strong currents and often turbid water make the Castor a harder dive than the shallow reefs nearby.
Sources
- Castor - Naufragios do Brasil — Naufragios do Brasil
More dive sites in Porto Seguro & Santa Cruz Cabrália
Artificial reef
A sunken platform lying at 22 m
Coral reefs over sand off Santa Cruz Cabrália, to 18 m
Reef
Shallow coral reef off Santa Cruz Cabrália, to 10 m
Reef
Endemic Bahian brain coral on a marine-park reef at 6 to 9 m
Coral reef banks over sand off Coroa Vermelha, to 18 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A 36 m fishing boat at about 22 m with a hull prepared for entry
The 1981 wooden hull that started the city's wreck park
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