Castor

The Castor ran aground at 3 a.m. on a sandbank off Coroa Vermelha, in Santa Cruz Cabrália, while sailing in a strong southwesterly wind and rough sea, with the radar out of order and the echo sounder switched off. The radio direction finder was also faulty, and the captain's lack of skill contributed to the grounding. Attempts to refloat her failed, and the ship stayed for years in sailing position, with her masts out of the water. Two years after the wreck, the foremasts and the funnel still showed above the surface. The cargo was recovered, but about 600 tonnes of steel pipes remained on the ship. A local legend links the freighter to the Rio de Janeiro racketeer Castor de Andrade, but no connection between the two has been found.

Part of that cargo of Petrobras steel pipes is still in what is left of the second hold. On the starboard side of the bow hull, the letters STOR of the ship's name can still be read. The propeller is still standing, as is the bow winch area, and collapsed sections form passages through the ironwork. Over the years, marine life has taken over the wreck, which is now heavily colonised and has several kinds of corals. The fauna is very varied: moray eels and the fish known in Brazil as peixes-frade frequent the wreck, alongside many fish up to medium size and, more rarely, small sharks and barracudas.

Diving the Castor tends to be more favourable in summer. In the region, the best time to dive is usually from November to March.

Reported visibility: 2–10 m in the site profile and 6–16 m in a historical 2006 account; these ranges do not establish a current average.