Azores · Portugal · Pinnacle · Pelagic & blue water
Baixa do Morro
A drowned volcanic cone rising to within 6 m of the surface
Baixa do Morro is a submerged volcanic cone about a mile off the south coast of Flores, opposite Fajã de Lopo Vaz. It rises from the ocean floor to a top at just 6 m, and sits in open water swept by moderate currents, which makes it a dive for experienced divers.
Also known as Baixa da Feteira.
Where it is and how deep
39.3600° N, 31.2079° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The top of the cone lies at 6 m, and the pelagic schools gather mainly along the reef's east and west edges between 15 and 25 m. The north flank drops to about 40 m and the south flank to 60 m. At 35 m two caves lined with narwhal shrimp open in the rock: white trevally usually occupy one, a large dusky grouper and a conger the other. The reef stands in open water about a mile offshore, so moderate currents run over it most of the time.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Azores: June to September is the best time to dive; the clearest water lasts into October, spring water turns green, and in winter the Corvo ferry sails only when the weather allows.
Know before you go
- Open-water position about a mile offshore, subject to moderate currents.
Sources
- Baixa do Morro — byAçores
- Baixa do Morro — Visit Azores
- Diving South Flores Island — Just Gotta Dive
- Fajã de Lopo Vaz (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Azores
Pelagic & blue water
Almaco jacks and barracuda hunting clouds of blue jack mackerel
More than a dozen dusky groupers around divers at once
Cave & cavern
A cave with two entrances guarded by unusually large trevally
Wall
A reef wall that splits the islet into a sheltered side and an exposed one
Pinnacle
A Corvo reef rising from deep water almost to the surface
Wall
Lava-tube caves hiding conger eels and moray eels
Similar dives elsewhere
Big pelagics turn up on the pinnacles when the current runs.
Open-water pinnacles reached only in the September-October calm window
Pinnacle
Mansi Reef (Marker 42)
Yanbu & the Seven Reefs · Saudi Arabia
A lone coral column where hammerheads patrol the open water
A vertical chimney inside the rock, from 18 m up to 6 m