The Marble Wreck
The 19th Century sinking of the Barco de los Marmoles, with its priceless marble artifacts, is now home to eels and octopuses
The fascinating history of the locally famous Marble Wreck (Barco de los Marmoles) provides the perfect backstory for a dive into the past.
Sitting a few hundred metres in front of one of Torrequebrada’s beaches in Benalmadena, the wreck site has retained plenty of photogenic features and artifacts allowing the diver a glimpse into the year of its sinking, 1855.
The ship itself – a 19th Century sailing brig by the name of Isabella – was sailed by one Captain Brown on its way from Genoa in Italy to Calcutta in India, loaded with marble statues and sculptures dating from as far back as Roman times. It was stranded and “sank by force of a storm” on March 4th 1855.
Join Simply Diving for a one tank dive in Benalmadena to find slabs of marble, gravestones with clearly depicted family names, and the wreck’s own solid wooden frame that plays host to mating pairs of cuttlefish, octopus, conger eels and nudibranchs as well as schooling fish.
Price: €60 (€50 own kit)
- Visibility: 5-20 metres
- Water temperature: 16-24°C
- Time: 8.30am–1.30pm
Includes one guided dive, full equipment rental, transportation to and from the dive site in air-conditioned minibus, plus light refreshments (bottled water, fruit juice, cookies and après-dive beers).
WEATHER & DIVE CONDITIONS
The Costa del Sol has the perfect weather for taking a PADI course or just diving for fun, with over 300 days of sunshine per year. Hence its name! Summer daytime temperatures average 30°C (86°F), with winter around 16°C (61°F).
- Water temp May to Sept: 19 – 29°C (67 – 85°F)
- Water temp Oct to April: 14 – 18°C (58 – 65°F)
Due to our variety of dive sites, Simply Diving is the only 5 Star PADI centre in the area that can take you diving 365 days a year.
What do our divers say?
This is the best dive site for exploring some history while getting up close and personal with cuttlefish and octopus. Its fairly shallow depth meant a nice long bottom time too.”David Brown, Natural History Filmmaker, USA