Pontão 16
Description
Boat
10 min from the Horta Harbour
Depth
Pontão 16
Although this is an easy shipwreck dive, with no parts of the vessel accessible for entry, it is only advisable for experienced divers because of the depth (between 21 and 26 metres).
Known as Pontão 16, this 40-metre long and 17-metre wide structure is a barge that was purposely sunk in 2003 so that people could wreck dive on a sandy seafloor in a relatively sheltered area. Although it was not that long ago, the metallic structures already have a considerable covering of sponges and algae, and countless Moroccan white seabreams (Diplodus sargus) seem to shield the whole structure of the barge.
Round stingrays (Taeniura grabata), Atlantic lizardfish (Synodus saurus) and wide-eyed flounders (Bothus podas) are regularly spotted on the sandy ocean floor that surrounds the wreck, and in the water column you may well spot large schools of slow grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus).