Maona Rossa
An unpowered iron cargo barge that went down in Piran Bay during the Second World War, probably after its tug was attacked from the air or after hitting a mine; its hold still carries the bauxite it was loaded with. The hull sits upright on a muddy bottom at about 21–23 m, with the deck around 16–18 m, and its open frames give shelter to lobsters, conger eels and many nudibranchs. Because the surrounding seabed is mostly bare mud, the wreck works as an artificial reef and is one of the most popular boat dives on the coast.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Coast
- Area: Piran, Fiesa & Portorož
- Depth: 16–23 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 45.5137, 13.5423 (approximate)
- Highlights: unpowered iron cargo barge (WWII), bauxite cargo in the hold, old sea mines reported nearby, lobster, conger eel, moray eel, nudibranch, colourful sponges
- Unverified: Unverified: no published coordinates – the point is set about 2.4 km south-west of Cape Madona as described by the Fiesa centre. Sources also differ on size (38 × 8 m vs 28 × 11 m) and depth (15–23 m, 16–21 m, 21 m).
- Tips: Boat dive only; Nemo Divers and the Fiesa centre (Piran Diving) run trips. The silty bottom makes visibility unpredictable – keep good buoyancy and practise wreck navigation. The original anchor and rudder have been stolen; take nothing from the wreck.