Azores · Portugal · Reef
Ilhéu da Vila
Slipper lobsters tucked into small caves around a reserve islet
Photo: Carlos Luis M C da Cruz · Public domain
Ilhéu da Vila is a small islet off the southwest coast of Santa Maria and one of the island's four marine reserves. Despite the nearby Vila do Porto marina, it holds fairly abundant marine life, and the rock offers a wide choice of routes.
Also known as Ilheu da Vila, Vila Islet.
Where it is and how deep
36.9387° N, 25.1735° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Dives run around the islet at depths from 10 to 25 m. Groupers, amberjacks and rays patrol the rock, and the bottom is pocked with several small caves where slipper lobsters and other crustaceans shelter, so the hollows are worth a slow look on the way round.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Azores: Boats run May to October; July to September is the peak at Ambrósio, and the offshore trips run regularly from June.
Sources
- Ilhéu da Vila - ScubaGo — ScubaGo
- Santa Maria dive sites - Haliotis — Haliotis
Photo credits
- A flat-topped dark islet sits in a sunlit blue sea, framed by dark cliffs in the foreground by Carlos Luis M C da Cruz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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