Sea of Cortez · Mexico · Wreck
Salvatierra Wreck
A 1976 ferry wreck with her cargo trucks still aboard
Photo: Martin Purdy · CC BY 4.0
The cargo ferry La Salvatierra struck Swanne Rock in 1976 and sank moments later, and she now lies on a sand bottom in 18 m (60 ft) of water, around 70 per cent intact with both propellers exposed. Much of her cargo is still aboard: the trucks she was carrying are visible on the wreck, tyres still inflated.
Where it is and how deep
24.3796° N, 110.3130° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Salvatierra sits upright enough to read as a ship, on a sand bottom in 18 m (60 ft) of water, and she is reported as roughly 70 per cent intact, so the dive is a tour of a recognisable hull rather than a scatter of plate. Both propellers are exposed and are the obvious feature to work towards at the deep end, with the sand around the wreck giving an easy reference for depth and for finding your way back along the hull.
The cargo is what sets this wreck apart. She went down as a working ferry with trucks on board, and those trucks are still visible in her, tyres still inflated after decades underwater. The reef she struck, Swanne Rock, is the reason she is here: she hit it in 1976 and sank moments later, which is why the wreck sits where it does rather than at the end of a long slow flooding.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Salvatierra
- Type
- Cargo ferry
- Sunk
- 1976
- Cause
- Struck Swanne Rock and sank moments later
- Lies
- On a sand bottom in 60 ft (18 m), around 70% intact with both propellers exposed
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Sea of Cortez: Calm, clear conditions run October to May; summer brings occasional wind and choppier seas, and Los Islotes closes from June to August.
Photos from Salvatierra Wreck
mdpurdy · CC BY 4.0
Martin Purdy · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Salvatierra Wreck Dive · Gerald Barker on YouTube
Wreck Diving: The Salvatierra's Massive Propellers · Wet Gills on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Salvatierra wreck?+
She lies on a sand bottom in 60 feet, about 18 metres, which keeps the whole wreck inside recreational limits and leaves room for a reasonable bottom time on a single tank.
What is left of the Salvatierra?+
Around 70 per cent of the ferry is intact. Both propellers are exposed, and the trucks she was carrying as cargo are still visible in the wreck with their tyres inflated.
Sources
- Salvatierra Wreck dive site — PADI
Photo credits
- Bradley's sea star draped over coral on the reef near the wreck site by Martin Purdy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- School of red bigscale soldierfish sheltering among reef structure by mdpurdy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mexican barred pargo swimming past a mixed school of reef fish by Martin Purdy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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