The Nigerian cargo ship River Gurara sank near Cabo Espichel in 1989 during a severe storm. Its wreckage is scattered across a wide area and, despite the structure’s deterioration, the site is now one of the most important dive spots on the Portuguese coast.
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The River Gurara was a Nigerian cargo ship measuring around 185 metres in length, with a deadweight tonnage of 21,000 tonnes.
On the night of 24–25 February 1989, strong south-westerly winds blew and the waves reached 8.5 metres. At 4 a.m., the River Gurara struck the cliffs of Cabo Espichel with great force and sank.
Across an area with a radius of more than 300 metres, divers can find various parts of the masts, cargo booms, winches, chains and fragments of the ship’s superstructure.
Whenever weather conditions allowed, groups of divers began visiting the site. At that time, the River Gurara was in a very different condition from the one it is in today, as the structure has continued to deteriorate.
Today, this wreck is one of the most important dive sites on the Portuguese coast.
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