Gruta dos Camarões
Description
Boat
10 min from the Horta Harbour
Depth
Gruta dos Camarões
Located on the slope of the Guia Hill, the Gruta dos Camarões (Shrimp Cave) is a deep dive performed in a long and narrow cave. It is only advisable for experienced divers certified in cave diving.
This is one of the best cave dives in the Azores. Its crack-shaped entrance is located at 35 metres, leading to a high and narrow corridor that is only about 1 metre wide. It extends for about 25 metres and ends in a big cavern, where you can spot large congers (Conger conger) and clouds of narwal shrimp (Plesionika narval) as well as several species of small nudibranchs and sometimes even large Almaco jacks (Seriola rivoliana). Although it is known as cave, this is actually a cavern with access to an air pocket. Do note that without specialist technical dive equipment you cannot emerge here.
Leaving the cave and heading to the left side you can gradually climb the flank of an eight to ten metre reef, starting the decompression stages and a safety stop, while you observe the marine life.