Minuano

The Minuano is a tugboat built in 1955 at the M. V. Holland Nautic shipyard in the Netherlands. It was deliberately sunk on 18 January 2002 to form an artificial reef. It was one of three Wilson, Sons tugboats, along with the Servemar X and the Lupus, sunk at the same time in an official operation with the participation of the Fire Department, Ibama and the Port Authority (Capitania dos Portos). The tugboats were cleaned of oil and other contaminants, and the Minuano was the second to go down, by opening its valves, in less than 30 minutes.

Despite the intentional sinking, the whole structure and the main parts are intact, and the funnel, removed along with the engines, left a large opening. The vessel's name can still be read on the hull, and in the wheelhouse there are remains of the helm controls and electrical panels. At the stern, the propeller sits inside a protective tube and, together with the rudder, is turned fully to port.

On Recife's wrecks in general, nurse sharks, rays, turtles and large schools of xiras and Atlantic spadefish appear, along with passing fish such as xaréus and bicudas. For Recife's wrecks, the best season tends to run from October to March, peaking in December and January, when boat trips are calmer.