Sesimbra & the Arrábida, the area around Pedra do Meio

Sesimbra & the Arrábida · Portugal · Reef

Pedra do Meio

Easy 13 m rock where octopus, cuttlefish and squid lay eggs

Area photo: YukioSanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0

A shallow stone running west to east near the exit of the port, with a maximum depth of about 13 m. The diving is easy and the ground is busy the whole way: octopus, cuttlefish and squid lay their eggs here, so the site is one of the few where you see those animals in their first stages of life.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Pedra do Meio: typical dive to 13 m (to 43 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit13 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

38.4386° N, 9.1025° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The run out is short — the rock lies just outside the port entrance — and the profile is shallow from start to finish, with about 13 m under you at the deepest point. There is nothing technical about the diving, and you are surrounded by life along the whole length of the stone, which is why the site works as a first sea dive.

The reason to slow down is the eggs. Octopus, cuttlefish and squid all lay here, which means that as well as the adults you get the animals in their first stages of life, attached to the rock and under the ledges. It is close, careful looking rather than distance covered, and the shallow depth means you have the air and the time to do it. Take nothing near the egg masses and keep fins clear of the rock.

Marine life and season

  • Octopus & cuttlefish
  • Squid
Month-by-month season rating for Pedra do Meio
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodFair

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

  1. Pedra do Meio — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide

More dive sites in Sesimbra & the Arrábida

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to 20 mintermediate

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Forte da Baralha

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to 15 mintermediate

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P-39

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Cape walls at 12–15 m strewn with River Gurara debris

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Reef

Pedra da Milu

Gorgonian carpet at 28–30 m where sunfish come to be cleaned

28–30 madvanced

Reef

Pedra das Âncoras

Low rock with lost anchors on the bottom at 15–18 m

15–18 mintermediate

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