Despite the small size of the Graciosa island, its attractions for divers are many and doesn’t require to travel long distances to find good spots. Throughout the island you will see great variety of typical wildlife of the Azores archipelago with areas for deep diving and strong current lovers but also for those who are starting diving.
«Baixa do Farol» is an easy dive, with a maximum depth of 25 meters, and protected from currents. Different species of moray eels, gray triggerfish schools or damselfish live with large groupers and barred hogfish and as we dive deeper will find beautiful black coral and will get to a small cave inhabited by Mediterranean slipper lobsters. Nearby, also north of the island, can be found a dive spot where see some pelagic fish: «Baixa do Ferreiro de Dentro». With a maximum depth of 28 meters, this spot has several platforms at different depths where you can stop and look in the blue look to see beautiful schools of barracuda and carangidae. During summer it is even possible to see some mobulas passing by.
The most famous dive in Graciosa Island is probably the wreck «Terceirense». This 40 meters long vessel sank in 1968 during a journey between islands and now rests at 21 meters deep. You can dive through the stern, appreciate its propeller and get into different sections of the wreck that have plenty of life: groupers, damselfish, wrasses, sea bream fish, pollacks and congers have found in Terceirense wreck a great shelter.
As in the rest of the Azores islands, Graciosa have also interesting caves. «Gruta do Carapacho» is a small cave that stands out for its beautiful lighting effects but also has interesting fauna, especially nudibranchs of the genus Hypselodoris, groupers, moray eels and sea bream fish.
