Tremiti Islands · Italy · Wreck
Tre Senghe
A rock split by three fissures gives the site its name
Area photo: eric spenle · CC BY-SA 4.0
A 1st-century BC Roman wreck 100 m off the south coast of San Domino, found between 1981 and 1982 at 25 m and listed to 30 m. The ship was carrying about 900 amphorae when it went down, and the Tremiti tourism office rates the find as one of extraordinary historical importance. Sea state decides whether the dive happens at all.
Where it is and how deep
42.1046° N, 15.4831° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck lies about 100 m off the southern shore of San Domino, near Punta di Ponente between Cala di Zio Cesare and Punta del Diavolo, in 25 to 30 m of water. It is an ancient site rather than a steel one: the ship belongs to the Roman Mediterranean trade and was carrying roughly 900 amphorae when it sank in the 1st century BC. The landmark that gives the place its name is a rock split by three fissures — tre senghe.
Treat it as a weather-dependent dive. The source is explicit that conditions on this exposed southern side do not always allow it, so the site is booked with a fallback in mind and confirmed on the morning. Depth keeps the profile short, and the interest is archaeological: what survives of a cargo wreck found between 1981 and 1982, rather than a scenic reef dive.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Unidentified Roman merchant ship
- Type
- Roman cargo ship
- Cause
- Wrecked in the 1st century BC on the Roman Mediterranean trade routes, carrying about 900 amphorae
- Lies
- About 100 m off the southern coast of San Domino, between 25 and 30 m
The wreck was found between 1981 and 1982 at 25 m, about 100 m off the southern coast of San Domino near Punta di Ponente, between Cala di Zio Cesare and Punta del Diavolo. The sinking belongs to the trade routes of the ancient Roman Mediterranean, and the ship was carrying around 900 amphorae. The place itself, Tre Senghe, takes its name from a rock split by three fissures.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Tremiti Islands: Operators run Apr–Oct with Jun–Sep warmest; winter bora and Adriatic swell close the ferry and the dive centres.
Know before you go
- The dive is not always possible: sea conditions on San Domino's exposed south coast regularly close the site, so keep an alternative site in the plan.
Sources
- Relitti Marini delle Isole Tremiti — Tremiti.eu
- Cala di Zio Cesare (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Tremiti Islands
Wreck
Named for the Benedictine cistern above the cove
Cave & cavern
Seventy metres of cave over 2 m of water, with a beach inside
A wooden paddle steamer of 1841, wrecked in an 1864 storm
Wreck
Documented by century and depth alone: 16th century, 25 m
One large black-coral branch grows among the gorgonians
Artificial reef
A saint on the seabed since 1998, 14 m down off Capraia
Similar dives elsewhere
An unidentified wreck at 32 m, reached down a slope from 10 m
A wartime Flying Fortress upright on clean sand at 25–28 m
A WWII heavy fighter at 33 m, found in 2007 after a year-long search
A coal carrier on a slope from a 13 m plateau to about 27 m