Ancoras de Sao Roque

The dive follows a scatter of old anchors laid across a sandy bottom within reach of a low volcanic-rock structure, roughly 9 to 17 metres down and about 2 km east of Ponta Delgada marina. The anchors are said to have been recovered from around the marina, catalogued and placed here to build an artificial reef in front of the São Roque islet. Sightings reported at the site include groupers, moray eels and common octopus working the rock and sand, with barracuda passing over open ground. The whole profile sits well inside Open Water range. That keeps the dive easy, from the anchor field down.

A field of historic anchors, gathered up around Ponta Delgada marina and catalogued before being placed here on purpose, is the site's defining feature: a deliberately built artificial reef. Within the same operators' catalogue of Ponta Delgada sites, this is among the shallowest and easiest-rated dives on record, sitting beside their deeper offshore expedition trips. It is one dive among several the marina's boats run, valued for a calm introduction to the area's volcanic-rock-and-sand terrain.

Boats from the Ponta Delgada operators cover the short run out to the site, and the whole route stays within Open Water depths, so any certified diver can join without further training. No deeper option exists here: the anchor field and its surrounding rock and sand are the whole dive.