A sea of lost ships
A dive into a place where the sun has difficulty in lighting up the shipwrecks that lie on the seabed, now hidden treasures chosen as a habitat by shoals and colonies of fish and covered in vast expanses of seagrass
An underwater world, rich with aquatic flora and fauna, where the wreckages of old abandoned ships dwell. The whole of Sardinia offers diving enthusiasts numerous not-to-be-missed opportunities: ships stranded on the seabed, where the sun's rays create magical visions of light and colour. Meanwhile, in the deepest darkness, the vitality of the sea brings the wounded wreckages back to life: the new inhabitants, including grouper fish, lobsters and prawns, peep out from their homes among the splendid carpets of flowering gorgonians and rare species of black coral. These shipwrecks are now completely colonized by red and yellow sea fans and expanses of seagrass that vibrate as the water flows through them, arousing the emotions of even the most expert divers.
The Mediterranean is the cradle of civilization: peoples and cultures moved from its shores. Sardinia was at the centre of this world. The numerous shipwrecks found on the seabed take us back to the epic naval battles between ancient peoples for the domination of the seas: amphoras, marble slabs and columns, wood and anchors, an extraordinary underwater archaeological museum near the main landing places of those ancient times, which have now become welcoming harbours or charming villages by the sea. In the museums, you will find a display of jewels and everyday artefacts recovered from the Roman and Phoenician shipwrecks, which became a source of inspiration for the Island's artistic craftsmanship.
The sea around the Island has always been the stage on which wars took place. The shipwrecks on the seabed are still equipped for battle, armed with cannons and guns loaded with ammunition. Wonder and curiosity permeates those who dive down to explore the bridge, the holds and the engine rooms of the ships, attracted by traces left by their crews. Supplies that never reached their destination. Submarines torpedoed the merchant convoys that left the Sardinian ports loaded with provisions. A tragic error offers divers one of the most beautiful diving experiences in the Mediterranean, that of the Relitto dei Vetri: the ship was sailing without armaments or escort, its cargo was a large quantity of glass that today, lit up by torches, offers us a unique play of light and visual effects.
The Golfo degli Angeli (Gulf of Angels) offers a great many underwater attractions: from the Romagna, a tanker that sank in 1943, to the Entella, which transported coal and was torpedoed by an English submarine. On the seabed at Teulada, one of the favourite locations for diving enthusiasts because of the depths of its sea stacks, lie the various remains of Roman ships. To the west, around the island of Mal di Ventre, where the sea is often forbidding, an infinite underwater world of shipwrecks can be found. To the east, in the Gulf of Orosei with its colonies of grouper fish, amberjacks, barracuda fish and corals, you will find the remains of numerous tragic events caused by the fury of the sea. Don't miss out on the most fascinating diving experiences in the Mediterranean.
