Fradinhos

Four bare rock islets, none more than 4 to 8 metres above the waves, are all that shows of the formation off Terceira's southeast coast; most of it is underwater. Divers drop onto rock that slopes from a working depth of 24 to 25 metres, past shallower ground where groupers hold, and down to large branches of black coral beginning around 30 metres. In the blue water beyond the rock, yellowmouth barracuda school and almaco jacks and mobula devil rays sometimes pass by divers working the wall.

The rock keeps falling from there, well past the recreational route this dive normally covers. The standard trip stays on the rock above that line, working the black coral and the open water beyond it; the deeper extension is a separate booking for technical divers.

A 2014 technical-diving transect recorded that same slope down to about 63 metres, and the black coral wall beginning around 30 metres gives the site a name among wide-angle photographers.

Boat only, about 5 nautical miles southeast of Terceira: 20 minutes from Angra do Heroismo or 35 minutes from Praia da Vitoria. Currents run moderate to strong and are a main reason for the advanced rating, so plan the dive around the guide's current window rather than a fixed route. The recreational route stays within Advanced Open Water limits to the 30-metre cavern line; the deeper technical extension below needs its own certification and is a separate trip. In March 2024, a diver went missing near the islet, triggering a multi-agency air and sea search: an isolated case, not a mark against the site, and a clear illustration of how far this dive sits from quick help.