Davy Jones Diving
PADI 5-Star center at Casa Limón, Arinaga, the longest-established dive operator at El Cabrón, run by owner-instructor Brian Goldthorpe since the 1990s.
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Angela Pando (Auténtico)
Also known as: Ángela Pando, Angela Pando (Autentico), Auténtico Ángela Pando, ex Solares
Bulk carrier broken in two where it grounded off La Isleta, Gran Canaria: collapsed ribs and decks, a rudder at the stern, an inverted bow on the rock.
Last updated October 2026
The dive
The hull is in two pieces, and the bow lies inverted on the rock where she grounded. At the stern end the rudder blade and the stern mirror stand clear, with part of "Santander" readable under the algae. Between the two ends the superstructure has collapsed into ribs, decks and bulkheads. A short passage runs through the space the engine room once filled; it is an overhead route for divers with penetration training. Covering the whole ship takes many divers two dives on 12-litre cylinders.
What makes it special
She was never refloated or towed away, so the wreck lies where the grounding left her off La Isleta, a whole ship's length of structure in one place.
History and origin
She was built in 1970 by Astano at Ferrol as the ore carrier Solares. She was renamed Pilar María before Marítima Antares of Santander bought her and gave her the name Ángela Pando in 1981. In the summer of 1986 she left the Rada Norte for Gijón with a cargo of iron-ore fines, lost all electrical power within about half an hour and grounded on the shoal beside the Roca de la Esfinge. The crew were taken off. Dutch salvors failed to refloat her and abandoned the work on 8 September 1986. She broke in two at the bridge in the early hours of 7 April 19871 and sank over the following weeks, her cargo going into the sea off La Isleta.
In 2021 the Spanish Navy granted a contractor, Extracciones Playa de Camelle, the right to recover her and the neighbouring Kos Island wreck as scrap. Cutting began in early 2022 and stopped after the salvage barge Mimar Cinco ran aground at La Isleta in mid-August 2022. As of March 2025 it had not resumed on either wreck.
Know before you go
Only one depth is reported, 15 metres, with no word on whether it is the top of the wreck or the seabed, so ask the centre what depth the day's dive reaches. In shallow water the swell sets up surge that rolls a diver along the hull and into protruding iron: pick a calm-swell day and shelter against the hull walls. The short passage through the hull is the one place where overhead rules apply, and the exit stays in sight.
Why Dive Angela Pando (Auténtico)
What makes this dive site stand out.
- 253.8m bulk carrier
Broken in two at the bridge in 1987 and left where it grounded.
- Auténtico Ángela Pando
The name separates it from a second wreck about 900m further north.
- Stern and rudder
Part of the word Santander still shows on the stern under the algae.
- Inverted bow
It rests on the rock where the ship ran aground.
Depth & Profile
15m
Min depth
WreckRock
Location
28.1721°N, 15.4011°W
Conditions & difficulty
ModerateMin cert: Open Water
The reported depth of 15m sits within Open Water limits. Surge and loose iron make it a wreck for divers at ease with buoyancy in swell.
Summary
Surge over shallow water, protruding iron and a hull long enough to need two dives.
Safety considerations
What can go wrong here, and what divers do about it. Conditions change - take the briefing from the operator on the day.
- Current: Shallow water and wave lift mean surge that can roll a diver against protruding ironShelter against the hull walls and choose a day of calm swell
- Structure and sharp edges: Collapsed hull with loose, protruding ironKeep trim and buoyancy controlled near the structure; hover, do not settle
- Overhead: A short penetration runs through the former engine-room spaceEnter only with penetration training and keep the exit in sight
Dive Centers
View allBook a guided dive at this site.
GO DIVING Center
PADI 5-Star IDC centre in Maspalomas running small-group two-dive trips on Atlantis, which it bills as Gran Canaria's only rigid-hulled dive boat.
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Karapat Dive Gran Canaria
SSI-affiliated dive centre in Telde, Gran Canaria, running shore and boat dives across the El Cabron, Tufia, and La Catedral circuit.
SSI8 services
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this wreck called the Auténtico Ángela Pando?▾
Some guides apply the Ángela Pando name to a second wreck about 900 metres further north, called J.J. or Kinder Island by local divers and reportedly identified in 2014 as the Kos Island. Divers add 'Auténtico' to the ship described here, the bulk carrier that grounded off La Isleta in 1986.
When did the Ángela Pando run aground, and how much ore was she carrying?▾
Accounts differ on both. One gives 14 July 1986 and another 15 August 1986. One puts the cargo of iron-ore fines at 64,000 tonnes and another at 67,000 tonnes.
References
- 1.Rafael Sánchez Valerón, cronistasoficiales.com, November 10, 2024 — Naufragios en la costa de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (LII) Ángela Pando (1986)
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