Sesimbra & the Arrábida · Portugal · Wreck
River Gurara — stern
The shallower half of the River Gurara, at 23 m
Area photo: YukioSanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0
The stern half of the River Gurara, the Nigerian cargo motor vessel that broke in two off Cabo Espichel in the storm of 26 February 1989. It lies at an average depth of 23 m, which makes it the shallower of the wreck's two sections. Large congers, pouting, seabream, wrasse, morays, squid and octopus shelter in the structure.
Also known as River Gurara Popa.
Where it is and how deep
38.4105° N, 9.2166° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is the shallower of the two River Gurara sites: the stern half of a 175 m cargo ship that parted in the middle in the storm of 26 February 1989. The bottom around it averages 23 m, which buys a longer dive than the bow gives you and leaves room to cover the section properly rather than making one pass and turning for the surface.
Descend onto the wreck and follow the plating. Large congers sit deep in the openings, and pouting, seabream and wrasse work the outside of the structure with morays, squid and octopus in the gaps and under the edges. This is a rock-and-steel coast rather than a coral one, so the wreck itself is the habitat — everything you come to see is on or in the section.
The wall beside the cape, Paredes do Cabo, sits about 100 m to the north of the stern at 12–15 m and carries scattered traces of the same wreck, so the pair make a natural first and second dive. Both halves are exposed to whatever the Atlantic is doing at Cabo Espichel, and swell rather than depth is what most often puts the day off.
The wreck
- Vessel
- River Gurara
- Type
- Nigerian cargo motor vessel
- Length
- 175 m (574 ft)
- Sunk
- 1989
- Cause
- Sank in a strong storm off Cabo Espichel on 26 February 1989
- Lies
- Broken in two; the stern section at an average depth of 23 m
The River Gurara was a 175 m Nigerian cargo motor vessel that sank off Cabo Espichel, in the Setúbal district, during a storm on 26 February 1989, breaking in the middle. Wikipedia's account of Sesimbra puts the loss at 45 sailors and names the wreck as the most famous dive site on this coast. The town's tourism office describes the wrecking as an important milestone, tragic as it was, in the development of diving here.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sesimbra & the Arrábida: Aug–Oct is the warmest window; sheltered bay sites are diveable all year, but cape-facing sites take Atlantic swell in any month.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the River Gurara stern section?+
It lies at an average depth of 23 m. The bow half of the same ship sits deeper, at an average of 28 m, and is dived as a separate site.
Which half of the River Gurara should I dive?+
The stern is the shallower of the two at an average of 23 m, so it gives the longer bottom time; the bow, at an average of 28 m, is the deeper dive. Both are boat dives from the Porto de Abrigo, and the two halves are dived separately.
Sources
- River Gurara Popa — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
- Sesimbra — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Mergulho — Visit Sesimbra — Câmara Municipal de Sesimbra
- List of shipwrecks of Europe — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
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