Ansalagrazia wreck - Santa Lucia

If the current is running fast enough, you can use this wreck, sitting upright and intact at 20 metres, as the end point of your drift dive on the Escalon Wall (Dive site 18).

If not, don’t worry – this is a great dive in itself!

This is a wreck of a tugboat, and sitting upright on the edge of the wall, it is massaged by gentle current. Therefore, it is well covered with corals, despite being a relatively new wreck.

Colourful hard and soft corals have rooted themselves to the deck rails and hardware, but the deck itself, and the interior, are still relatively clear, enabling you to really appreciate the boat too.

Penetration is easy – big entry and exit points, a deckhouse swim through, and even a spacious engine room allow a buddy pair to dive in parallel with each other. Uncluttered space is perfect for the wreck novice, and there is little to snag yourself on, with this tug having been sanitised before being sunk deliberately as an artificial reef.

Whilst it is only a juvenile in terms of its age, the marine life doesn’t seem to recognise this – lionfish, snapper, spadefish and numerous small critters have made this their home already. It is worth taking a torch inside to see if you can find the big eyes and squirrel fish, the resting lion fish, and even a moray, and we would strongly recommend taking a camera on this dive – the wreck is intact, and very clear lines make this a very photogenic dive.

With the dive coming to an end, ascend next to the wall and with the reef being shallow, even the safety stop continues to deliver plentiful marine life.

Our thoughts? A good wreck that is perfect for the new wreck diver, but with plenty for the experienced too – engines, propellers and some easy penetration makes this one a little jewel in the crown.