Sesimbra & the Arrábida · Portugal · Pinnacle
Forte da Baralha
Rock rising from 15 m to the surface near Cabo Espichel
Area photo: YukioSanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0
A rock a few metres off the Sesimbra coast near Cabo Espichel that runs the full height of the water column: the bottom around it is at 15 m and the stone reaches the surface, rarely submerging completely. Cuttlefish, seabream and wrasse work it, and the faces carry gorgonians, sponges and anemones.
Where it is and how deep
38.4118° N, 9.1893° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Forte da Baralha is a single rock formation a few metres south of the Sesimbra coast, near Cabo Espichel, and its shape sets the dive. The bottom around it lies at 15 m and the stone rises from there all the way to the surface — it is rare for the top to be completely submerged — so instead of swimming a reef you circle the rock, drop to the base and work your way back up around it.
The cover is the cold-water kind that stands in for coral here: gorgonians on the faces, sponges and anemones in the shaded cuts. Cuttlefish hold against the stone, and seabream and wrasse move around it. Because the top of the rock is at the surface the last part of the dive and the safety stop happen on the formation itself, which is worth having on a coast where open-water hangs are the norm.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sesimbra & the Arrábida: Aug–Oct is the warmest window; sheltered bay sites are diveable all year, but cape-facing sites take Atlantic swell in any month.
Sources
- Forte da Baralha — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
More dive sites in Sesimbra & the Arrábida
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Surface-breaking rock at 15 m with nudibranchs in the cuts
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Low rock with lost anchors on the bottom at 15–18 m
Reef
Easy 13 m rock where octopus, cuttlefish and squid lay eggs
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