Berlengas & Peniche · Portugal · Reef · Wall
Baixa do Broeiro
A platform at 25 m on the north side before the drop to 40 m
Area photo: Tiago Thedim · CC BY-SA 4.0
Baixa do Broeiro is a reef structure that extends from 40 metres deep to 5 metres shallow, with a platform on the northern side at 25 metres, the average depth of the dive, before the drop. Currents come through hard enough to limit when it can be dived, which is why it is rated moderate to advanced. Moray and conger eels live in the rock, and summer brings triggerfish, amberjacks and sunfish.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Berlengas & Peniche and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The reef structure extends from 40 metres deep to 5 metres shallow, so the site is a depth menu rather than a fixed route and the decision gets made before you leave the boat. The northern side is the classic line: a platform at 25 metres, which is also the average depth of the dive, gives somewhere to gather the group and set the profile before the ground drops away to 40. Currents are present and can shut the dive down entirely.
On the rock itself, moray eels and conger eels sit in the holes while seabreams and schools of small fish work the water above. Through the summer months the list grows, with triggerfish, amberjacks and sunfish all seasonal visitors, and they tend to be off the structure rather than on it, so it is worth turning away from the reef every so often. The shallow end at 5 metres makes an easy safety stop.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Trevally & jacks
- Mola mola
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Berlengas & Peniche: June to October is the high season; from December to February the Atlantic swell allows diving only on occasional calm days.
Know before you go
- The site experiences currents strong enough that it is not always diveable; take the skipper's call on the day and carry a surface marker for the pickup.
Sources
- Baixa do Broeiro Berlengas dive site — Portugal Dive
More dive sites in Berlengas & Peniche
Wall of blue and purple gorgonians to 32 m on the outer islets
Red wall of soft coral where the current pulls pelagics in
Wreck
Boilers of a 1931 French steamer at 22 m
Wreck
The 1930 Nelson Line liner lost on Farilhão Grande
Cave & cavern
The archipelago's simplest dive, 6 m average in a sheltered bay
Reef
Sand, a small cavern and a broken wreck, all inside 15 m
Wreck
A 1947 coal steamer, largely intact from 15 m to 30
A 1901 Greek steamer, still intact at 28–30 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Reef
Ilhéu de São Roque
Azores · Portugal
A sheltered sand bottom five minutes from the marina
Reef
Bajo de las Gorgonias
San Sebastián & Getaria · Spain
Large gorgonians over a rocky south face full of crustaceans
Shore-accessible rock from 0 to 18 m over a Phoenician port
Reef
Ondartxo
San Sebastián & Getaria · Spain
A broken slab of boulders to zigzag through, with a wall to 32 m