Sálvora, Ons & Ría de Arousa · Spain · Wreck
Santa Isabel wreck
Remains of Galicia's worst shipwreck, lost off Sálvora in 1921
Area photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) · CC BY-SA 3.0
The mail steamer Santa Isabel was wrecked in 1921 on the shoals south of Sálvora, counted as the worst maritime disaster in the history of Galicia. She was broken up for scrap during the Civil War, so the dive is over plates and scattered remains rather than an intact ship, at no more than 15 m.
Also known as Pecio Santa Isabel.
Where it is and how deep
42.4585° N, 9.0106° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The mail steamer Santa Isabel went down in 1921 after striking the shoals off the south of Sálvora, the island at the mouth of the Ría de Arousa. The wreck is counted as the greatest maritime tragedy in the history of Galicia: 213 of the 268 people travelling aboard died. Today the site is one of the wreck dives on the boat trip list of Centro de Buceo Medusa.
Little of the ship is left whole. She was broken up for scrap during the Spanish Civil War, and only plates and pieces of the ship remain, with no complete structure standing. The dive covers this scattered wreckage at a maximum depth of 15 m and is rated for Open Water divers.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Santa Isabel
- Type
- Mail steamer
- Sunk
- 1921
- Cause
- Struck the shoals south of the island of Sálvora
- Lies
- Broken up for scrap; scattered plates and remains, 15 m at the deepest
The Santa Isabel, a mail steamer, was wrecked in 1921 when she struck the shoals off the south of Sálvora. Her loss is considered the greatest maritime tragedy in the history of Galicia: 213 of the 268 people travelling on the ship died. During the Civil War the wreck was broken up for scrap, so only plates and remains of the ship are left, with no complete structure.
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 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Sálvora, Ons & Ría de Arousa: The centres dive all year and no month is reported as best; the public ferries to Ons run in the high season, at Easter and from 15 May to 15 September.
Dive videos
Santa Isabel | Buscadores de Naufraxios · Diving Galicia on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Santa Isabel wreck?+
The remains of the Santa Isabel lie at a maximum depth of 15 m off the south of Sálvora.
How many people died on the Santa Isabel?+
213 of the 268 people aboard died when the Santa Isabel struck the shoals south of Sálvora in 1921.
Sources
- Salidas de buceo (Centro de Buceo Medusa) — Náutica Medusa
- Isla de Sálvora (Hydronauta) — Centro de Buceo Hydronauta
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Reef
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