
Azores · Portugal · Cave & cavern
Cinco Ribeiras
Three chambers, from a shrimp cave to a funnel
Photo: José Luís Ávila Silveira/Pedro Noronha e Costa 16:00, 19 July 2007 (UTC) · Public domain
Cinco Ribeiras is a cavern dive at 17 m on the southwest coast of Terceira, in the parish of the same name. A route through three named chambers, with a choice of three ways back out, makes it a site for advanced divers only.
Also known as Cinco Ribeiras Cave, Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras.
Where it is and how deep
38.6750° N, 27.3308° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive runs through three chambers in turn. The first is called the shrimp cave, the second the Cavaco swim-through and the third the funnel. The cavern sits at 17 m, and divers return to open water through one of its three exits.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Azores: June to September is the best time to dive; August to October has the clearest water, and spring nutrients turn it green.
Dive videos
Azores, Terceira - SCUBA dive Cinco Ribeiras · Rafael Von Aburg (Haffa) on YouTube
Sources
- Cinco Ribeiras — ScubaGo
- Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras — Wikipedia
- Terceira diving — Azores Tourism Directorate
Photo credits
- Dark boulder-strewn lava shoreline below grassy cliffs and walled fields, with grey sea under a hazy sky by José Luís Ávila Silveira/Pedro Noronha e Costa 16:00, 19 July 2007 (UTC), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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