Azores · Portugal · Wreck
Lidador
An 1878 steamer wreck reached by an easy entry from land
Photo: Carlos Luis M C da Cruz · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Lidador is a 78 m steamship that struck a shoal and sank in the Bay of Angra do Heroísmo in 1878. Its broken remains lie at about 10 m inside Terceira's Underwater Archaeological Park, with no current and an easy entry and exit from land.
Also known as Naufrágio Lidador, Lidador shipwreck.
Where it is and how deep
38.6501° N, 27.2211° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Divers walk in from land along the archaeological park in Angra bay, where getting in and out of the water is easy. The steamer's broken remains rest at about 10 m on the floor of the bay, and with no current running, divers can tour the wreckage of a ship lost after it struck a shoal.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Lidador
- Type
- Steamship
- Length
- 78 m (256 ft)
- Sunk
- 1878
- Cause
- Struck a shoal in the Bay of Angra do Heroísmo
- Lies
- On the floor of the Bay of Angra do Heroísmo at about 10 m, inside the Underwater Archaeological Park
The steamer Lidador ran onto a shoal in the Bay of Angra do Heroísmo in February 1878 and was wrecked there. What is left of the vessel is now one of the main attractions of the bay's Underwater Archaeological Park, alongside the Cemetery of Anchors, a park aimed at divers interested in the history and culture of Terceira.
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
Diving the Lidador with Arraia Divers · Arraia Divers - youtube on YouTube
Sources
- Mergulhos Costeiros — Terceira Adventures
- Lidador - Archaeological UW Park — ScubaGo
- Terceira diving — Azores Tourism Directorate
- List of shipwrecks in February 1878 — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Calm deep-blue bay below a green wooded headland, with a white seawall and a low white building along the shore by Carlos Luis M C da Cruz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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