Azores · Portugal · Wreck
Dori
A 130-metre Liberty ship broken open in shallow water
A Liberty ship that sprang a leak off Ponta Delgada in January 1964, was beached, and later exploded and sank. What is left is a broken hull in shallow water off the town, long enough that the dive is a swim along its length, with the anchor, cargo winches, engine and propeller still identifiable in the intact sections.
Also known as Dori Wreck, SS Dori.
Where it is and how deep
37.7445° N, 25.6288° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck is 130 metres long and about 30 metres wide, and the profile is set by how it sits on the bottom: the bow is the deep end at 22 metres, the stern comes up to 18, and the shallowest part of the structure is at 12. Only the bow end reaches past the Open Water limit, and the dive is spent working the length of the hull rather than dropping to one feature and coming back.
Parts of the ship have been destroyed, but the intact sections carry the interest — the anchor, the cargo winches, the controls, the engine and the propeller can all still be picked out. Barracuda and jack fish hold over the metal and groupers sit in the broken ground. There is no penetration here, so the dive is run over and around the structure rather than through it.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Dori
- Type
- Liberty ship
- Length
- 130 m (427 ft)
- Sunk
- 1964
- Cause
- Sprang a leak, was beached near Ponta Delgada, then exploded and sank
- Lies
- Broken up on the bottom off Ponta Delgada: bow at 22 m, stern at 18 m, shallowest structure at 12 m
The Dori was a Liberty ship. On 16 January 1964 she sprang a leak and was beached near Ponta Delgada, and she later exploded and sank where she lay. That break-up is why the wreck reads the way it does now: 130 metres of hull, about 30 metres across, with whole sections destroyed and others left intact enough to show the anchor, the winches, the engine and the propeller.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Azores: June to September is the settled season and August into October the clearest water; diving carries on through winter in a 7-10mm or dry suit when swell allows.
Know before you go
- Sections of the wreck are partially destroyed and there is no penetration inside; the dive is run over and around the structure, not into it.
Dive videos
Dori, a WWII shipwreck in São Miguel, Azores 4K - Portugal · The Traveling Frogfish on YouTube
Dori Wreck Diving - São Miguel Island - Azores · Pınar Çamözü on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Dori wreck?+
The bow is the deepest part of the wreck at 22 metres and the stern at 18, with the shallowest structure at 12 metres. Only the bow end goes past the 18 m Open Water limit, so the deeper half of the wreck calls for Advanced Open Water or equivalent.
Sources
- Dori Wreck — Scubago
- List of shipwrecks in 1964 — Wikipedia
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