Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Naufrágio Saveiros

The Naufrágio Saveiros is an artificial-reef wreck off the coast of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil — a 29-meter-deep boat dive on a tugboat that, alongside the Mercurius, supported the construction of the Rio-Niterói Bridge in the 1970s. The vessel was decommissioned in 2004 and intentionally scuttled on 4 May 2006 as part of the Pernambuco Shipwrecks Park (Parque de Naufrágios de Pernambuco), a state initiative coordinated by the local dive operators association together with federal universities to create artificial reefs for marine-biodiversity research and recreational tourism. The wreck rests upright on a sandy bottom and has been cleaned and prepared with doors removed to allow safe penetration of accessible compartments. Marine life on the structure has flourished since sinking: schooling grunts, snappers and jacks circle the superstructure, while moray eels, octopus and reef fish populate the deck and interior. Nurse sharks, southern stingrays, eagle rays and hawksbill turtles are seasonal regional visitors. The dive requires Advanced Open Water certification because of the depth; currents are typically light. Best season runs September–December when regional visibility frequently exceeds 30 meters.