Porto Santo · Portugal · Reef · Cave & cavern
Cannons
Three cannons and ammunition on the seabed at about 20 m
Area photo: Portuguese_eyes · CC BY-SA 2.0
Three cannons and some ammunition lie on the seabed at Engrade Grande, off Ilhéu de Baixo — the islet also called Ilhéu da Cal, at the south-west end of Porto Santo. The average depth is about 20 m, and a small cave nearby can be taken in on the same dive. Small fish are always around, jacks use the cave, and rays turn up with luck.
Where it is and how deep
32.9978° N, 16.3865° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive is named for what is on the bottom: three cannons and some ammunition, lying at Engrade Grande off Ilhéu de Baixo, the islet at the south-west end of the island that also goes by Ilhéu da Cal. Average depth is about 20 m, so there is no rush over the artefacts themselves, and the cannons are the fixed points the rest of the dive is arranged around.
A small cave sits close enough to be visited on the same dive, and jacks are usually in it, which makes it worth putting on the route rather than treating as an extra. Small fish are on the ground throughout, and rays turn up with luck. No source consulted dates the cannons or names the ship they came from, so what you get is the objects on the seabed rather than a story attached to them.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
| 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
Where did the cannons come from?+
No source consulted names the ship or dates them. What is published is that three cannons and some ammunition lie on the seabed at Engrade Grande, off Ilhéu de Baixo, at an average depth of about 20 m.
How deep is the Cannons dive?+
The average depth is about 20 m, and a small cave nearby can be included on the same dive without changing that profile much.
Sources
- Cannons — Scubago
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