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Ilhéu de Vila Franca

4
General Rating 
12345
Very Good
Marine Life Rating 
12345
Very Good
Seafloor/Scenery Rating 

Description

Access 

Boat

5 min from the Vila Franca do Campo Marina, 45 minutes from the Ponta Delgada Marina

Depth

Average Depth 
12m
Maximum Depth 
22m
Currents 
Weak
Dive Types 
Coastal
Ideal place for 
Night dive
Underwater photography
Diving Baptism
Snorkeling
Diving Experience 
All Divers

Ilhéu de Vila Franca

The protected area of the Vila Franca do Campo Islet is located directly opposite the town after which it is named, less than 500 metres from shore. It offers several excellent dives that are suitable for all experience levels, as well as lots of snorkelling opportunities. Inside the islet you will find a large bay created by the crater of an extinct volcano that rose from the sea more than four thousand years. This is another great spot for snorkelling.

The islet offers various diving options along the major cracks and canyons, which mean you can tailor your dive depending on the direction of the waves. The area is protected, and there is an abundance of Azores chromis (Chromis limbata), ornate wrasses (Thalassoma pavo), blacktail combers (Serranus atricauda), parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense), ballan wrasses (Labrus bergylta), barred hogfish, moray eels, common octopuses (Octopus vulgaris) and dusky groupers (Epinephelus marginatus). On the sandy seafloor you are likely to spot common stingrays (Dasyatis pastinaca), and in the water column there are often white trevallies (Pseudocaranx dentex), yellowmouth barracudas (Sphyraena viridensis), Almaco jacks (Seriola rivoliana) and bluefish. (Pomatomus saltator).