Berlengas & Peniche · Portugal · Reef
Quebradas
Abrupt granite canyons at 16 m on Berlenga's exposed side
Area photo: Tiago Thedim · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quebradas sits on the north-west side of Berlenga, where the granite is cut into abrupt canyons. It is shallow at 16 metres, but exposed, so it only runs when the sea is flat, and those are also the days when visibility often exceeds 15 metres. Sea bream shoal over the cuts in numbers, which is the site's signature.
Where it is and how deep
39.4210° N, 9.5200° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is on Berlenga's north-west side and it can only be dived on days when the sea is calm and there is no wind, which is the single fact that governs the trip. That constraint works in your favour once you are in the water: the days the boat can run this side are the days visibility often exceeds 15 metres, and a maximum of 16 metres leaves the whole structure lit rather than grey.
Underwater the granite is cut into abrupt canyons, so the dive is a matter of working along them rather than following a single contour: into one, along the floor, out over the lip and into the next. Abundant sea bream schools hold over the cuts and move between them as you go. With 16 metres as the deepest point there is no depth pressure at all, and the limit on the dive is gas and cold rather than no-stop time.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| 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 is exposed and only dives on days with a calm sea and no wind, so treat it as a weather-window call rather than a fixed item on the plan.
Questions divers ask
When can you dive Quebradas?+
Only in calm seas. The site is on the exposed north-west side of Berlenga and swell rules it out often, but on the flat days visibility there often exceeds 15 metres.
Sources
- Diving in Berlenga — Centre of Portugal
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