
Cascais & Cabo Raso · Portugal · Reef
Boca do Inferno
Countless nudibranchs below the rocky recess that names the site
Boca do Inferno is a coastal reef below the huge rocky recess west of Cascais that gives the site its name. The dive runs along the coast over gorges and rock down to where the reef meets the sand. Countless nudibranchs make it a favourite of underwater photographers, and several schools of endemic fish live on the reef.
Where it is and how deep
38.6911° N, 9.4308° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive runs along the coast below the huge rocky recess, starting around 9 m where gorges cut the reef. It follows the rock down to 16 m, where the reef meets the sand. Countless nudibranchs live on the rock, along with several schools of endemic fish.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Cascais & Cabo Raso: Boats run all year; the sea is coolest around March and warmest around September.
Dive videos
Boca do Inferno1 · DivingCascais on YouTube
Sources
- Boca do Inferno – ScubaGo dive site — ScubaGo
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Grey limestone cliffs drop into green water, with a dark cave opening at the waterline and flat rock ledges below. by Nick Richards from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Cascais & Cabo Raso
Reef
Small passages through the reef top on the swim back to the sand
Reef
Large gorges that look like the Sintra hills on a clear day
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Sheltered bay where an undulate ray turns up on lucky days
Small-spotted catsharks on a rock-and-sand bottom at 24 m
Beach entry onto a reef split by cracks running out from the shore
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Try-dive reef where nudibranchs, octopus and cuttlefish share 8 m of water
Similar dives elsewhere
Shore-accessible rock from 0 to 18 m over a Phoenician port
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Four rock arches at 16 metres in a sheltered bay
Amphitheatre reef in the underwater park, 10–24 m


