Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos · Brazil · Wreck
Homei III
A whole, upright fishing-boat hull between 33 and 39 m
The Homei III is a 41-metre Chinese fishing boat, seized for fishing illegally in Brazilian waters, that broke its moorings and sank near Porto da Barra. It stands upright between 33 and 39 m and is one of the few wrecks in the bay with its hull still whole, a dive for experienced divers only.
Also known as Ho Mei III, Ho-Mei.
Where it is and how deep
12.9932° S, 38.5360° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The Homei III sits upright on the bottom near Porto da Barra, with its shallowest structure at 33 m and the deepest point at 39 m. Unlike most wrecks in the bay, the hull is still whole, so the dive is a circuit of an intact 41-metre fishing boat rather than a search through scattered debris.
At these depths the time on the wreck is short, and the ascent needs to be planned before the descent. The depth is why the site is kept for experienced divers: it sits well past open-water limits, and even a modest circuit of the hull at 36 m uses gas and no-decompression time quickly.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Homei III
- Type
- Chinese fishing boat
- Length
- 41 m (135 ft)
- Cause
- Broke its moorings while being dismantled, drifted on the ebb tide and sank
- Lies
- Upright with the hull whole, between 33 and 39 m
The Homei III was a 41-metre Chinese fishing boat seized while fishing illegally in Brazilian waters. It was being dismantled when its moorings loosened, and it drifted on the ebb tide until it sank in the Baía de Todos os Santos. The sinking is dated to between 1990 and 1993, and the wreck was identified after it went down.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Salvador & Baía de Todos os Santos: Diving runs all year; April to June is Salvador's rainy season, so July to March is the easier window for a trip.
Know before you go
- The wreck lies between 33 and 39 m; no-decompression time is short and gas use is high, so plan the turn point before descending.
Dive videos
Naufrágio Ho-mei III · Galeão Sacramento on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Homei III wreck in Salvador?+
The Homei III stands upright between 33 and 39 m, near Porto da Barra. It is a dive for experienced divers only.
Sources
- Pontos de Mergulho - Bahia de Todos os Santos — Águas Abertas
- Naufrágios em Salvador — Mundial Scuba
- Ho Mei III dive site — Scubago
- Mergulho Embarcado em Salvador (Naufrágios) — Mundial Scuba
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