Reef
down to 15 m
La Moulade
A mussel-covered rock below Collioure's fortress: plateau, drop-off and coralligenous reef at 15 m, with a chance of a seahorse.
- Open Water
- Barracuda
Technical
Le Bananier (Alice Robert)
Dive site in Côte Vermeille (Banyuls & Collioure), France
An 83 m fruit carrier turned German escort, torpedoed in June 1944; the bow at 38-47 m teems with anthias and conger eels.
- Usual dive
- 47 m
- Deepest point
- 54 m
- Level
- Technical
- Best months
- Apr–Nov
The story
The Bananier was an 83 m fruit cargo ship. Requisitioned in the war, it became the German escort vessel SG11 based at Port-Vendres, and was torpedoed on 2 June 1944 by the British submarine HMS Ultor.
Source: plongee66.com
The dive
A wreck dive. Known for sardine.
Who it's for
TechnicalSource: plongee66.com
Recommended minimum: Technical (Tec, cave, trimix, rebreather).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Sardine
- Anthias
- Conger eel
- Anemones
Season in Côte Vermeille (Banyuls & Collioure)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Good months: Apr–Nov.
Source: tourisme-pyrenees-mediterranee.comWhere is Côte Vermeille (Banyuls & Collioure)?
The point shows the Côte Vermeille (Banyuls & Collioure) area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Côte Vermeille (Banyuls & Collioure)
Wall
down to 26 m
Cap Cerbère
Cliffs that drop to 26 m, cavities with lobsters, morays and young red coral; sheltered from strong tramontane, with barracuda schools in summer.
- Advanced
- Barracuda
Reef
down to 20 m
Cap Gros
Rugged rocks from 3 to 15 m at Cap Gros, with a shoal crowded with sars and, more and more often, small barracuda schools.
- Open Water
- Barracuda
Wall
down to 26 m
Cap Peyrefite
Scree canyons, small 12-20 m walls and coralligenous crevices with lobsters, morays and groupers, partly inside the Cerbère-Banyuls reserve.
- Advanced
- Eagle rays
Wreck
down to 48 m
Le Saumur (wreck)
A 108 m cargo torpedoed in May 1944, decks at 33 m, with many anthias, sardine schools and conger eels on the decks.
- Experienced
- Sardine
Wreck
down to 40 m
Le Saint-Lucien (wreck)
A 1920 Danish-built ore carrier sunk in 1943 by HMS Unruly at the tip of Cap Béar, resting at 32-40 m.
- Experienced
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.