Porto Santo · Portugal · Reef
Baixa do J
Big sheltering rocks between 13 m and 20 m
Area photo: Portuguese_eyes · CC BY-SA 2.0
A reef of large rocks that shelter a lot of marine life, starting at 13 m and going up to 20 m. Current runs between mild and moderate, and visibility is about 20 to 30 m. One grouper here is described as very friendly; morays, trumpetfish, several species of bream, striped mullet, larger forkbeard, barracuda and garden eels fill in the rest of the dive.
Where it is and how deep
33.0510° N, 16.2837° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The ground here is large rocks rather than a continuous reef, and they are what the site is built on: they shelter the species that live on it and they break up the current, which runs between mild and moderate depending on the day. The dive starts at 13 m and goes up to 20 m, a narrow band that keeps the whole of it within a comfortable profile and leaves time to work slowly between the boulders.
Visibility of about 20 to 30 m means the gaps between the rocks can be read from a distance before you commit to them. A grouper here is described as very friendly, and around it are morays, trumpetfish, several species of bream, striped mullet and larger forkbeard, with barracuda higher in the water. On the sand between the rocks there are garden eels, which is a slow, low approach if you want to get near them.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Porto Santo: Diving runs all year. July to October holds the warmest water, logged at 22–23°C, February logs the lowest visibility, and the island's rain falls in winter.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Baixa do J?+
The reef starts at 13 m and goes up to 20 m. Visibility is about 20 to 30 m and the current is usually somewhere between mild and moderate.
Sources
- Baixa do J — Scubago
More dive sites in Porto Santo
Reef
Easy reef from 8 m on the rock to 22 m on the sand
Wall
A 15 m to 33 m wall, run only when the current allows
Reef
Reef platform at 8 m dropping to sand at 22 m
Reef
Rock from 7 m to stone walls at 30 m, near Ilhéu da Cal
Reef
Three cannons and ammunition on the seabed at about 20 m
A Navy corvette sunk in 2016, top at 15 m, bottom at 30 m
Reef
Lesson ground in 2 to 7 m, straight off the dive centre
Cave & cavern
A small cave off the islet, from 15 m down to 25 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Amphitheatre reef in the underwater park, 10–24 m
Volcanic caves and coral blocks inside 18 metres
Six-metre lava formations with schooling barracuda, all inside 18 m
A shore-parallel reef with angel sharks on the sand in winter