Porto Santo · Portugal · Reef · Wall
Baixinha
Rock from 7 m to stone walls at 30 m, near Ilhéu da Cal
Area photo: Portuguese_eyes · CC BY-SA 2.0
A reef near Ilhéu da Cal at the south-west end of Porto Santo, with depths between 7 m and 30 m and some stone walls at the bottom. There is sometimes some current, and visibility runs between 20 and 30 m. Several species of bream, blacktail comber, damselfish, Turkish wrasse and parrotfish cover the rock, with morays, groupers and rays deeper down.
Where it is and how deep
32.9994° N, 16.3725° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef sits near Ilhéu da Cal, the islet off the south-west end of the island, and it covers a wide depth range: 7 m at the top, 30 m at the bottom, with some stone walls down there. That range is what to plan around, because the walls and the shallow rock are effectively two different dives stacked on the same site, and there is sometimes some current running over it.
Visibility between 20 and 30 m holds through most of the range, so the walls are worth going down for rather than guessing at. The shallower rock carries several species of bream, blacktail comber, damselfish, Turkish wrasse and parrotfish; morays, groupers and rays are the deeper end of the list. Working from the bottom back up towards the 7 m rock keeps the profile clean and puts the busiest water last.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Stingrays
| 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 bottom of the site is at 30 m and there is sometimes some current, so set a maximum depth before dropping in and leave gas for the shallow part of the reef.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Baixinha?+
Depths run between 7 m and 30 m, with some stone walls at the bottom of that range and visibility between 20 and 30 m.
Sources
- Baixinha — Scubago
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