Porto Santo · Portugal · Reef
Baixa dos Leques
Reef platform at 8 m dropping to sand at 22 m
Area photo: Portuguese_eyes · CC BY-SA 2.0
A reef whose platform starts at 8 m and drops to 22 m on the sand, dived as an easy run that is sometimes subject to some current. Visibility is between 20 and 30 m. Groupers and morays hold on the rock, with several species of bream, striped mullet, larger forkbeard, blacktail combers and damselfish spread over the platform.
Where it is and how deep
33.0508° N, 16.2834° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef is built round a platform: it starts at 8 m, and the rock runs down from there to 22 m where it meets the sand. That is a straightforward dive to plan — down the outside, along the base, and back up onto the platform for the shallow end of the time — and the operators rate it easy, with the caveat that it is sometimes subject to some current.
Visibility between 20 and 30 m is enough to see the platform edge from the sand, which makes the dive easy to navigate without a line of sight to the boat. Groupers and morays are the resident weight of it, and over the rock there are several species of bream, striped mullet, larger forkbeard, blacktail combers and damselfish. The shallow platform is where the last part of the dive belongs.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| 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.
Know before you go
- The site is sometimes subject to some current, so check the direction on entry and plan to finish up on the shallow platform rather than out on the sand.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Baixa dos Leques?+
The reef platform starts at 8 m and the rock runs down to 22 m on the sand. Visibility there is between 20 and 30 m.
Sources
- Baixa dos Leques — Scubago
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