Azores · Portugal · Reef
House Reef Ponta Delgada
A shore-divable reef of arches and sand from 4 to 20 m
A reef of sandy bottoms, arches and rock that runs from 4 to 20 metres and can be dived from a boat or entered from the shore. It is fifteen minutes out of the Ponta Delgada marina by boat, and the sand holds seahorses, stingrays and enough small life to justify a slow, long dive.
Where it is and how deep
37.7402° N, 25.5742° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Depths range from 4 metres up to 20, so the dive is shaped by where it starts. It can be entered from the shore or run from the boat, fifteen minutes out of the Ponta Delgada marina, and those two starts put the shallow ground at opposite ends of the dive. The bottom alternates sand, arches and rock the whole way.
The arches are the structure to work and the sand between them is where the looking happens. Seahorses, stingrays and round stingrays, grey mullet, red mullet, axillary seabream, red porgy and wrasse are all on the list here, along with sea slugs on the rock. The shallow depths and the shore option are what make this a long dive rather than a fast one.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Macro critters
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Azores: June to September is the settled season and August into October the clearest water; diving carries on through winter in a 7-10mm or dry suit when swell allows.
Sources
- House Reef Ponta Delgada — Scubago
More dive sites in Azores
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The pinnacle left by the 1811 eruption, summit at 22 m
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A pinnacle topping out at 26 metres with walls to 45
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Volcanic arches in 7 to 19 m, named for a chocolate factory
Wreck
A 130-metre Liberty ship broken open in shallow water
A sheltered sand bottom five minutes from the marina
Reef
Two parallel walls sheltering a reef from 5 to 18 m
Similar dives elsewhere
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Rows of crosses on the sand at 15 m, set here in 1999
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