Berlengas & Peniche · Portugal · Wall · Cave & cavern
Farilhões
Wall of blue and purple gorgonians to 32 m on the outer islets
Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Farilhões are the outer islets of the archipelago, about 3.5 nautical miles NNW of the Berlenga lighthouse and a longer boat run from Peniche. The dive drops down a rock face hung with blue and purple gorgonians to a maximum of 31–32 m, and one of the islets is cut through by a cave. Depth and exposure make it the demanding end of Berlengas diving.
Also known as Farilhões-Forcadas.
Where it is and how deep
39.4753° N, 9.5458° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The descent is made alongside the wall, and the gorgonians start showing almost immediately — blue and purple fans standing off the rock, with soft coral filling the gaps between them. The water here can be clear blue, and on a good day you can see the shape of the face running away below you and pick a depth rather than feel your way down. The bottom of the profile is 31–32 m, which is what pushes this dive into Advanced territory.
Work the wall slowly and it turns into a macro dive. Lobsters sit back in the fissures, scorpionfish hold still against the rock where the coral thins, and nudibranchs on the growth are worth carrying a close-up lens for. Unlike Berlenga Grande and the Estelas, which are pink granite, the Farilhões are metamorphic rock — sharp peaks and vertical cliffs above the water, and the same steep, broken face below it.
One of the islets is cut through by a cave, so part of the dive can be a transit through the rock rather than another pass along the wall. Come up shallow along the rock face and expect the surface to be the working part of the day: wind can put a surface current across the pick-up, so stay close to the boat, and the run back to Peniche is longer from here than from the main island.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| 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
- Wind can set up a surface current at the Farilhões — surface close to the boat and hold the shot or a marker rather than drifting off it.
- The maximum of 31–32 m eats gas and no-stop time quickly in cold water; plan the deep part of the dive first and turn on a set depth.
Dive videos
Berlengas Mergulho Farilhões - Diving in Berlengas, Peniche - Portugal · Pedro Carvalho on YouTube
Sources
- Uma visita às Berlengas e Farilhões — Scuba Miguel
- Farilhões — Wikipédia
- Berlengas — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- The rocky Farilhões islets rising from deep blue water, seen from Berlenga with gulls overhead by Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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