Bou Ferrer Roman wreck – La Vila Joiosa (permit, short season)
Roman merchant ship of the 1st century CE (dated 64-68 CE), about 30 m long and 9 m wide, carrying over 230 t of cargo including about 2,500 handmade amphorae and lead ingots; it sank in a squall on the way from southern Spain to Italy. It lies at about 25 m roughly 1,000 m off the beaches of Vila Joiosa and is reached by boat. Recreational diving is allowed only for a couple of months each year, supervised by archaeologists, and special permission is required; the Generalitat page says Ali-Sub is the only centre permitted to run the dives and publishes the calendar. Requirements: Advanced Open Water/Deep Diver, at least 35 logged dives, medical certificate, insurance and a torch. Position is estimated (about 1 km offshore of the town beaches); no published coordinates found.
Facts
- Region: Spain – Valencia coast (Columbretes, Costa Blanca, Tabarca)
- Area: Calpe – Benidorm – Vila Joiosa
- Depth: 25 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 38.4995, -0.2205 (approximate)
- Highlights: 1st-century Roman cargo ship, about 30 m long, about 2,500 amphorae and lead ingots, supervised visits with archaeologists
- Permit: Special permission from the regional culture authority (Conselleria de Cultura) is required; recreational visits run in limited periods under archaeological supervision as part of the Bou Ferrer project, with Ali-Sub as a collaborating dive centre.
- Issuer / contact: Conselleria de Cultura (Generalitat Valenciana) – authorisation; Ali-Sub as collaborating dive centre (Bou Ferrer project)
- Phone: +34 618 157 512
- Email: buceo@ali-sub.com
- Tips: Book through Ali-Sub for the annual calendar; the Bou Ferrer Project and Vilamuseu coordinate the archaeological work and public visits.