Azores · Portugal · Wall
Caneiro dos Meros
More than a dozen dusky groupers around divers at once
Photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0
Caneiro dos Meros is a series of ravines off the quay of Vila do Corvo and the only voluntary reserve in the Azores. It holds the highest concentration of dusky groupers of any dive site in the archipelago, and divers come to share the water with more than a dozen of these large, curious fish at one time.
Also known as Dusky Grouper Passageway.
Where it is and how deep
39.6732° N, 31.1137° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive follows several large ravines formed by lava flows, with sandy patches at 18 to 25 m. The site lies close to the coast and the quay, so it is sheltered from strong currents. Heading out toward the open sea, the wall of the last ravine drops to a sandy floor at 40–45 m, where large dusky groupers gather alongside barred hogfish. The groupers are friendly and curious, and with fishing forbidden here, fish that are rare in Azorean seas also gather in numbers.
Background
Caneiro dos Meros became the only voluntary reserve in the Azores more than a decade ago, through an agreement between local fishermen and divers prompted by the large, friendly dusky groupers living there. The site sits within the Costa do Corvo Protected Area of Resources Management and is counted among the best dive sites in the archipelago.
Marine life and season
- 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.
Dive videos
Let's dive in lost Atlantis - Mero / Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) (FloresDiveCenter.com) · Miguel Jeronimo - Photo and Videography on YouTube
Grouper Alley - Caneiro dos Meros · OceanX on YouTube
Sources
- Caneiro dos Meros — Visit Azores
- Caneiro dos Meros — Parques Naturais dos Açores
Photo credits
- A dark reddish-brown moray eel peers out from a crevice in rock covered with red and green algae. by Julien Renoult, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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