Porto Santo, the area around Baixinha

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

Depth profile of Baixinha: typical dive 7–30 m (23–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit7 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

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 band: 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
Month-by-month season rating for Baixinha
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFair

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

  1. Baixinha — Scubago

More dive sites in Porto Santo

Reef

Baixa do Cotrim

Easy reef from 8 m on the rock to 22 m on the sand

8–22 mbeginner

Reef

Baixa do J

Big sheltering rocks between 13 m and 20 m

13–20 mintermediate

Wall

Baixa do Max

A 15 m to 33 m wall, run only when the current allows

15–33 madvanced

Reef

Baixa dos Leques

Reef platform at 8 m dropping to sand at 22 m

8–22 mbeginner

Reef

Cannons

Three cannons and ammunition on the seabed at about 20 m

to 20 mintermediate

Reef

High Stones

Lesson ground in 2 to 7 m, straight off the dive centre

2–7 mbeginner

Cave & cavern

Ilhéu de Cima Cave

A small cave off the islet, from 15 m down to 25 m

15–25 mintermediate

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Baía do Cerro do Cão

Berlengas & Peniche · Portugal

Canyons and underwater arches beside a dog-shaped rock

to 25 mintermediate

Reef

Rinchão

Berlengas & Peniche · Portugal

A reef head that breaks at high tide, walls to 32 m

to 32 madvanced

Reef

Ilhéu de São Roque

Azores · Portugal

A sheltered sand bottom five minutes from the marina

5–10 mintermediate

Reef

Prison Break

Azores · Portugal

Two parallel walls sheltering a reef from 5 to 18 m

5–18 mintermediate