Naufrágio Terceirense

Naufrágio Terceirense

This shipwreck dive is in close proximity to the harbour and resides at a relatively low depth, which makes for an easy dive for all experience levels. It has no major structures which you can enter, but as an artificial reef it has some amazing marine life to look at.

It was in 1968 that the ship Terceirense, about 40 metres long, sank at the entrance to the Praia Harbour, where it has rested up until today at a depth of about 21 metres. This artificial reef is undoubtedly one of the best and most popular dive sites on the island. The stern of the ship is the most intact part of the wreck, with its impressive propeller often surrounded by schools of pelagic species , including Almaco jacks (Seriola rivoliana) and salema porgies (Sarpa salpa). In the remaining area, over which the wreckage of the ship is spread, you can observe an exceptional number of species, including blacktail combers (Serranus atricauda), Azores chromis (Chromis limbata), Canary damsels (Abudefduf luridus), Mediterranean rainbow wrasses (Coris julis), ornate wrasses (Thalassoma pavo), curious large dusky groupers, island groupers (Mycteroperca fusca), forkbeards (Phycis phycis), congers (Conger conger) and moray eels occupying large sections of the hull, pipes and boilers.