Baixa do Farol

Baixa do Farol is located on the north coast of Graciosa, facing the Farol da Ponta da Barca lighthouse, which lends it its name, approximately 100 metres from shore. You can reach it by boat in around 10 minutes from Santa Cruz da Graciosa port, or in 25 minutes departing from Praia port. As the depths are moderate, it’s a site suitable for divers of any level, especially on days when wind and swell come from the south.

It’s an extensive underwater formation, with its highest point around 14 to 15 metres. Life appears here both near the bottom and in schools in the blue water. Among the most frequent species are schools of salema (Sarpa salpa), triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) and various moray eel species, joined by groupers (Serranus atricauda), parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense) and yellowtail damselfish (Chromis limbata).

Heading north, a second underwater formation emerges with its bottom at 25 metres and its top at 17, where it’s worth exploring a small cave. It’s the area indicated for observing deeper water species, such as dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) and blackspot wrasse (Bodianus scrofa), accompanied by some branches of black coral (Antipathella wollastoni).