In the past, and due both to the many shipwrecks taking place along this coast and to the central location of the town, the port of Camelle became the Costa da Morte's first salvage station. The warehouse of the Barbeito Salvage Station Company, founded in 1891, was located where the Museo de Man is today. In addition to saving lives, they also broke up ships.
The divers of Camelle were so renowned that in the 1960s they were in charge of inspecting Spain's swamps. It was a thriving business until 1921, when it was dismantled and 7 small family companies were established here.
The remains of the shipwrecks ended up here too, making of Camelle a sort of international free port.
Just an anecdote: in the port, particularly in the area where the slating factories were, there are rocks that are not from around here. The boats coming here to load scrap metal used rocks as ballast, and when they left, they left them behind.