Alvah Wreck at Cannitello

In Cannitello, in the narrowest point of the Strait of Messina, at a depth between 30 and 55 m, there’s a shipwreck known as “U Vapuri” and recently identified with the ship “Alvah”. It was a freighter carrying grain which, according to the fishermen stories, in a night of early 1900, collided with another boat and sank, while was trying to gain the Calabrian shore. The hull lies upside down on the steep sea bottom, divided into two parts, with the bow facing the shore 30 m deep and the stern at 55 m, where the propeller blades sprout from the sand.
The dive, accessible from the shore, takes place mostly inside the wreck, that is very broad and rich in openings. From these passages, which look like large windows overlooking the deep blue of the Strait of Messina, you can enjoy a wonderful play of light.
Densely populated by fishes, the hull is fully covered by sponges, nudibranchs, huge starfishes and some species of coelenterates, especially abundant specimens of Leptosamia pruvoti, thanks to which the wreck has earned the definition of “yellow wreck”!

Place	Cannitello (Villa San Giovanni)
Dive type	Recreational or Technical Dive
Minimum depth	30 m
Maximum depth	54 m
Bottom type	Sand and debris
Difficulty	Medium-High. There can be strong currents; recommended the presence of expert guides.
Level required	Advanced + Deep
Interest	Historical, biological and photographic interest.
Notes	Considerable presence of fishes: saddled sea breams, anthias, amberjacks. Presence of nudibranchs and sessile organisms too. Usually there’s a very good visibility.