Credits: Eleutério/diveacores.blogspot.com

Angra do Heroísmo’s bay, on Terceira Island, in 16^th century was a key port on the maritime routes to India and America. For more than four centuries, it was one of the main harbors of the nine Azorean Islands. 

Nowadays, this bay shelters the “Underwater Archaeological Park of Angra do Heroísmo’s bay,”which covers several archaeological sites and a very special spot: the “Anchors’ Cemetery.” In this area of about 1,640 ft., between the S. Benedito Fortifications and “Ponta do Farol”- divers can find more than 40 anchors of different types in between 49 – 115 ft. of depth.  They were lost due to bad weather and bad luck over several hundred years.

This diving trail is only a 3 minutes boat ride out of Angra do Heroísmo harbor side and is indicated with two yellow buoys moored by cables. It has also several underwater cables showing the different routes between the various anchors. 

If you dive along the buoy further north until 52 ft. deeph, you’ll find one of the most interesting anchors of all: the “555 Anchor”, which is supported on a large rock block. If you go deeper to southwest, you’ll spot several anchors until you reach a vertical wall that goes down until 115 ft. and where you’ll find a huge anchor in an inverted position.

Although this is a diving with an important historic interest, there is also a very interesting sea life in this area, mainly close to the vertical wall where you can find moraines (Muraena helena), salemas (Sarpa salpa), sea bream (Diplodus sargus), sea bream juveniles (Pagellus acarne), almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana) and even stingrays (Dasyatis pasticana) and large dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus).