Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Last updated on January 14, 2023
The Mario Wreck is probably one of the most snorkeleable wrecks along the Corsican coast. Located about 150 m from a beach and at a moderate depth (26 to 30 ft/8 to 9 m), it is easily accessible and can be enjoyed from the surface of the sea. Covered with algae and sponges, the wreck attracts around it many fish such as damselfish, combers, saddled seabreams and red mullets.
The Mario Wreck is located in Pietrosella, a coastal village located about 13 km south of Porticcio and 24 km south of Ajaccio. The wreck is about 150 m in front of Stagnola Beach (Plage de Stagnola).
If you come by car, the easiest way is to park at the Isolella car park, about 300 m on foot from the beach, but there are also a few parking spaces closer. Once on Stagnola Beach, walk up towards the east (on your right when you are facing the sea) until you encounter a stone wall.
Enter the water from the beach, in the center of the stone wall (see map above). You will be roughly opposite the wreck.
To reach the wreck, snorkel perpendicular to the beach for about 150 meters. You should soon see the shape of the wreck on the seabed.
The Mario Wreck, a tug almost 18 meters long, is placed on the sand, 26 to 30 ft/8 to 9 m deep. Sunk in 1993, the wreck is in very good condition and offers a very beautiful underwater landscape.
If you skindive, you can get closer to the structure and observe the underwater life that calls the wreck home. The Mario has been covered over time by different types of algae and by sponges from Dictyonella genus, forming an oasis of life in the middle of the sandy beds.
The Mario supports shoals of saddled seabreams and damselfish, as well as many painted combers which like to shelter in the hiding places offered by the wreck. Red mullets are common around the wreck, busy feeding on the sand.
Between the wreck and the beach, you will cross rocky areas and Posidonia meadows where you can see many fish and occasionally octopus or cuttlefish.
You will find several food options on the western part of the beach.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
