San Vito Lo Capo & Scopello · Italy · Wreck
Relitto del Capua
Conger eels and big lobsters on a wartime arms carrier
The Capua is a small Second World War cargo ship of about 400 tonnes lying in the Cala Azzurra bay, inside the Zingaro reserve. The dive runs between 28 and 37 m along a 45 m hull with an open cargo hold, and divers come for the wreck itself and for the conger eels and large spiny lobsters that live in it.
Also known as Capua, Relitto Capua.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows San Vito Lo Capo & Scopello and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The descent follows the buoy line, which is normally fixed to the very tip of the bow at about 28 m. From there the dive heads along the ship towards the stern, and after a few metres the wide cargo hold opens below; its interior is dark and fairly muddy.
Conger eels are one of the draws of the wreck, and large spiny lobsters shelter in it. Between the seabed and the hull at the stern, schools of brown meagre gather. On the bottom at about 35 m lies scattered debris where moray and conger eels often hide, and the deepest point of the dive is about 37 m.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Capua
- Type
- Cargo ship
- Length
- 45 m (148 ft)
- Sunk
- 1943
- Cause
- A fire on board set off a violent explosion while she carried arms from Trapani to Tripoli
- Lies
- In the Cala Azzurra bay inside the Zingaro reserve, with the bow at about 28 m and the deepest point near 37 m
The Capua was a small cargo ship of about 400 tonnes and 45 m, built at the start of the twentieth century by the Wood Skinner & Co. yards in Newcastle, in the United Kingdom. On 27 April 1943, while carrying a load of arms from Trapani to Tripoli for the Italian troops in Africa, a fire on board caused a violent explosion and the ship went down. The wreck now lies inside the Zingaro nature reserve.
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 | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows San Vito Lo Capo & Scopello: Summer is the peak season and conditions stay good well into autumn; the sea is warmest in August and coolest in February.
Know before you go
- The cargo hold is dark and fairly muddy inside, so visibility in it can drop quickly.
Dive videos
Il Relitto del Capua, Immersione subacquea, Luna Blu Diving, Castellammare del Golfo, 18 luglio 2020 · Fracontact ( francesco ) on YouTube
Diplodus vulgaris & Conger conger sul relitto del Capua · Pianeta Acqua on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does the Capua wreck need?+
The buoy is tied to the bow at about 28 m and the dive reaches about 37 m, past the 18 m an Open Water card covers, so the wreck needs deep training.
Sources
- Relitto del Capua | Under Hundred — Under Hundred
More dive sites in San Vito Lo Capo & Scopello
Cave & cavern
One cave, two doors: a mouth at 18 m and another on the wall
A cave roof so riddled with holes that a torch is barely needed
Pinnacle
An offshore shoal rising to 10 m in the Tonnara gulf
A sandy cove at 10 m, then the coast drops to 40 m
Similar dives elsewhere
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The Ghost Ship: an intact 20 m motor-sailboat on sand at 38 m
A scattered cargo wreck on a reef running from 2 m to 35 m
Hull and wings at 40 m, tail 100 m away at 52 m