Welcome

Welcome to Hidroespaço!

Since 1995, our team have been committed to teach people how to dive, to discover and respect our unique underwater marvels.
Our diving sites are located mainly along the coast of Faro, in central Algarve. Here you can dive in historic shipwrecks, artificial and natural reefs, archaeological sites and inside Ria Formosa, where the splendid seahorses are to be found. There is always a right spot for your diving level!

To accomplish our goals we rely on our team of instructors, dive guides and employees in different areas, all with one common passion: the underwater world. Come and enjoy a pleasant journey through the Ria Formosa and explore a different point of view of Algarve, Algarve Underwater.

Currently, Hidroespaço is the only dive center licensed for diving in the sea horses, witch shows our commitment to good diving practices and environmental conservation and protection.

On this blog you can find information about many of our diving sites, as well as some pictures.
Hope to have you diving with us soon!

Pedra da Greta

Depth (minimum - maximum): -14 m to -18 m

Type of diving: natural reef

Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics:
Corresponds to the original coastline. It was a beach at the end of the last glaciation, with around 8,000 years. This reef that looks "rocky" (in reality it is compacted sand), extends to a distance of about 1500 m, with 20-40 m wide and 1-2.5 m high, parallel to the coast. The stone has a labyrinthine structure, formed by large boulders and amazing and endless canyons. When diving here, one can identify specific areas from the profile of the reef (Lagosteira, Âncoras, Cabeço dos Robalos)

• Fauna:

The configuration of this reef is excelent to the fixation of a wide variety of benthic invertebrates. The sea fans population dominates the environment of the reef and comes heavily concentrated in some areas, with a lot of sizes and assorted colors (yellow, red, white, purple, pink), helping to make this dive one of the most interesting for biodiversity and color. All animal groups are represented in this area. Sponges and anemones of various types, shapes and colors cover the blocks giving them a large variety of colors. The numerous canyons provide excellent shelteres for many different species of fishes. You often see large breams, basses and sometimes anchovies and lilies around it. Other attractions: the basslets, moray eels, bibs and groupers. For most observers, the large variety of nudibranchs, in color and size, is a matter of interest.

• Diving Boards:

The anchor is positioned on the smaller stones on the periphery of the reef thus avoiding damage to the sea fans and other benthic organisms more sensitive. Start diving from the anchor to the north or south as the indication that you are given in the briefing.

When you get to the large blocks, start a zigzag course toward the north / south or east / west, depending on the sea conditions and the current at site. Start the journey back with a half tank. Here, the best way to see the fish is swimming slowly through the canyons, and sometimes keep quiet in the background, preferably hidden behind a rock and wait ...

Back to locate the anchor can become a difficult task, given the maze configuration of the stone that helps create a sense of disorientation, so the
diver should be prepared to a free water ascend, therefore the safety balloon is a very important an highly recommended equipment in these kind of dives.

• Warning:

Animals that  cover the rocks in this zone can be destroyed very easily: a fin movement with more violence, a console, octopus or flashlight hanging loose, poor control of buoyancy and it results in the destruction of one or more sea fans that took decades to grow. Therefore: equipment should be fixed to the body, one should swim slowly, pay attention to the bottom and make effective use of buoyancy control.

• Photo-sub:

To the average visibility in the local, macro option is the best: Pay attention to the nudibranchs that are very abundant, varied and colorful. If you have visibility to a few pictures of the environment, watch for the amazing ways that the stones here are the colorful and the features.

For the location of this dive site, click here!

Pé de Terra

Depth (min. - max.): -16 m to -18 m

Access: by boat

Type of diving: Natural Reef

Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics:

With about 800 m long and 70 m wide at the most, it is parallel to the coast and is located east of Pedra da Greta reef, with which it joins at one end. Along with Greta, this reef corresponds to the original coastline, but here the rocks are further apart from each other, which makes easier the water and fauna movement between them.

• Fauna:

This is one of the most colorful spots of this area, full of sea fans of different sizes and colors. It’s very common to see schools of big sea breams, seabass, cow breams, groupers, and big wrasses. Red porgies often appear in the reef limits.

• Diving Tips:
See Pedra da Greta.

• Photo-sub:
Because of the local average visibility, macro option is the best: Pay attention to the very abundant, varied and colorful nudibranchs. 

CAUTION:
This site is prohibited within the area of the Archaeological FARO-A


For the location of this dive site, click here!

Farol

Depth (minimum - maximum): -2 m and -6m.

Type of dive: Rock

Snorkeling: Yes

• Site Characteristics:

Remains of a boiler of an old Spanish steamer from the early XX century.This is in a sandy bottom, 100 meters east from the pier in Faro – Olhão Inlet.

• Fauna:

The boiler is a real "hotel" for small fish, with all its tubes occupied by small conger eels, a big variety of blennies, gobies, nudibranchs, spirograph, cleaner shrimp, some scallops, crabs, toadfishes, etc. Within a cavity of the boiler is common to find big squids spawning. Along the pier you may have some meetings with midsize bass and bream and you may find octopuses, cuttlefish and some scorpionfishes.

• Diving tips:

Before the dive, take a bearing in the direction of the pier (bearing 330 °). Start the dive in the boiler and then take the path towards the pier. Pay attention to the sand, because you my find rays, pipefishes, etc.

Barrocas de Fora

Depth (minimum - maximum): -12 m to -16 m

Type of diving: natural reef

Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics:

This reef resembles a giant hand, with about 200m long and 100m wide. The dive takes place in the slopes of the “fingers”, which are pointed east. The structure of the reef allows a high concentration of wildlife and diversity. The site that we propose corresponds to the southern "finger", or in other words, the “pinkie finger”, being the inner or north area the most interesting.

• Fauna:

We often find a big school of breams in this reef. We also observe a large variety of fishes, trigger fish, bibs, grouper, wrasse, gobies, larger forkbeard. It is a good rock for the moray eel fans because there are many and in all sizes. In terms of invertebrates, octopuses and cuttlefish are abundant as well as nudibranchs. There are resident rays from the species Raja undulata. A large density of  the calcareous algae Mesophyla, with its characteristic and beautiful pink color, can be found on rocks near the top of the reef.

• Diving tips:

The anchor will be placed at the top of the rock, which corresponds to the "back of the hand”, avoiding damage to the richness of the reef. Start your dive following the east path along the sand, towards the tip of the “finger". Make some tours in the sand in order to find some of the resident rays. The south side is less interesting so, during the return, take the same side of the rock toward west.

Barra Velha

Depth (min - max): - 37 m and - 45 m.

Type of dive: natural reef, deep, decompression

Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics:

Ancient sedimented dune, with approximately 150 meters in length parallel to the coast, presenting a 7 meters slope to south. In some places, the bottom is covered with a thin sediment layer that should not be raised or the visibility will greatly decrease. Therefore, an excellent swimming technique is needed, especially the frog swimming technique.

• Fauna:

In the upper part of the rock one can find a lot of Sea Fans and other different kinds of coral. In the slope and the base of the rock, the main attraction are the corals of the genus Dendrophyllia surrounded by schools of Mediterranean fairy basslet (Anthias anthias). It's also possible to find lobsters and sea fans with almost 2m tall.

• Diving tips:

To perform this dive, you should follow the decompression procedures, and required technical diving certification in this specialty. A torch is important because due to the depth of the light is weak. The descent is made vertically along a cable. When you get to the bottom, go north to the slope.

For the location of this dive site, click here!

Armação Nova

Depth (minimum - maximum): -11 m and -15 m

Type of diving: natural reef

Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics:

Resembles a slice of cake with, approximately, 100m long, 50m wide and 1 to 2m height, and extends perpendicular to the coastline. The dive takes place along the periphery of the reef, where many crevices allow greater colonization and wildlife diversity.

• Fauna:

Variety of small fish: bibs, grouper, wrasse, Damselfish, gobies. The conger eels

 and morays eels are common. Occasionally, large sea bream. In invertebrates we can find octopus and cuttlefish, nudibranchs and Spirographs. It is not uncommon to find rays along the sand.

• Diving Tips:

The anchor is placed near the slope, roughly halfway through the eastern face. Swim along the slope to south and then to north, making little tours to the sand, from time to time, thus increasing the possibility of seeing some rays.

For the location of this dive site, click here.

IPIMAR Wreck

Depth (min - max): -22 m and -29 m                                                                                
Type of dive: shipwreck, deep
Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics:

In 1995, IPIMAR (Portuguese Institute for Fisheries and Sea Research) sunk an old iron trawler to serve as an artificial reef. The ship is almost
 intact, and the inside was clean and clear of machinery. The ship is leaning to starboard on a sandy bottom, with the bow pointed to the open sea. It is a very interesting wreck, with some areas where you can enter quite safely. After more than a decade in the seabed, it is going through a very interesting phase of colonization, with the hull almost entirely covered with a big variety of colored organisms.

• Fauna:

Large schools of poutings, seabream, triggerfishes, etc, involve the entire ship, but the big conger eels are the main attraction. If you want to interact with these animals leave it to them to take the initiative and watch them from outside the ship. Do not force or invade their territory, and avoid pointing the light of your flashlight directly in the eyes of these animals.

• Diving tips:

Descend through the cable, going directly to the deepest part of ship, starting your journey beneath the bow. Make a tour throught the ship towards the forecastle. Finish your dive in the highest part of this ship, the cabin tower. Go back to the cable and start your ascent.

• Warning:

A good buoyancy control and proper technique of swimming are essential to prevent damage to the organisms that cover the entire ship. Beware that, due to metal corrosion, some parts can have very sharp edges. Small and white anemones require some attention, as well as the nets we constantly remove from the site, but that tend to reappear.

Pedra do Anzol

Depth (min. - max.): -14 to -16 meters
Type of diving: natural reef
Snorkeling: No


• Site Characteristics:
Rocky outcrop, plateau type and hook shaped about 150 meters long. The interest of the dive is on the edge of the stone, a very jagged, with many cracks. From here you can also reach the Pedra da Pirâmide and Rodão dos Mulatos, two rocky outcrops that are part of the Anzol system, extending further west.

• Fauna:

Variety of small fish including bibs, groupers, wrasses and damselfish. It is common to see breams holed up in several nooks and crannies. Moray and conger eels are very abundant. Several groups of invertebrates are represented, like octopuses, various nudibranchs, crabs, beautiful Ceriantius and Spirographs.

• Diving Tips:
The anchor of the boat is positioned slightly away from the massive and around the burrow of Napoleon. Start the dive by following the contours of the noth side of the rock. A little farther to west, you'll find the "arena", a circular area, almost closed. Continue to following the same side of the stone to west, exploring the nooks and crannies of the slope. The "mark", a rock detached from the rest of the plateau, marks the trail to be followed if you want, and still have return air, to west made up of small stones that will take you to the Pirâmid and the Rodão dos Mulatos.

Rodão do Mulatos

Depth (minimum - maximum): -16 m and -18m.

Type of dive: Rock

Snorkeling: No

Sea Horses

Depth (minimum - maximum): -2 m and -7m.

Type of dive: Sand

Snorkeling: No (Forbidden by local laws)                                                  

Artificial Reefs - Protection Modules

Depth (minimum - maximum): -19 to -21 meters 
Type of dive: artificial reef 

Snorkeling: No

 • Site Characteristics: 

In each group there are three artificial structures, consisting of several open concrete cubes, with 1.30 m high each, set on the sandy bottom. As the Exploration Modules, these reefs are included in the  project implemented by IPIMAR along the Algarve coast since the 90s. 

• Fauna: 
The result of this IPIMAR experience is very good: today these reefs are used by large schools of bream and many rock fishes. We can also see sea basses, forkbeards, moray eels and conger eels. 

• Diving Tips: 
In some dives you can visit the three groups of reefs, following the bottom cables. Do not enter or attempt to force entry inside the reef modules, just observe the animals from the outside, without disturbing them.

B-24 Liberator

Depth (min. - max.): - 19 m and -22 m 

Type of dive: Plain wreck 

Snorkeling: No 

• Site Characteristics:

This wreck is the remains of a U.S. bomber lost in the night of 30 November 1943, during the 2nd World War. It was a four-engine bomber, B-24 Liberator PB4Y from the U.S. Navy, which was working in anti-submarine patrol in the Gulf of Cadiz. With a crew of eleven, six died at the time of the crash, the rest were saved by a fisherman who was nearby that night. 

You can see the complete structure of the two wings and a part of the fuselage. It has 34 meters wingspan, and it’s turned upside down. The propellers have been moved, but one can still see the engines, as well as the wells for the collection of the landing gear. The fuselage, the main body of the aircraft, disappeared and is still subject of a lot of searches. Around the wreck is an extensive debris field, where we highlight two of the propellers, a motor rotor and stabilizer.

Since 2009, this diving site has been subject of study in the Eco Sub project. This project provides an ecological tour around the wreck, with in loco information about the existent fauna.

• Fauna:

The B-24 is now a beautiful artificial reef, in which the wing structure serves as a shelter to a huge cloud of bibs. The internal structure of the wing, with all the ribs, is the perfect habitat for a large number os species, as toadfishes, groupers, gobies, crabs, octopus, shrimps and lobster! Numerous conger eels and even some moray eels also live on the wreck. 

• Diving Tips:

During the descent, you have to control your buoyancy very well to prevent damage in the wreck structure when you get to the bottom. Explore carefully, slowly and in detail the structure of the wing. There are many details which must be observed carefully. Then, go to the southern edge of the wing where there is a cable that connects to the horizontal stabilizer of the tail. After that, go back to the wing and check your air. If you got enough air and bottom time, follow the direction

indicated by the guide, towards the remaining debris. This is one of those dives that our curiosity and navigation skills can be put to the test.

Artificial Reefs - Exploration Modules

Depth (minimum - maximum): -24 m and-31m

Type of diving: artificial reef

Snorkeling: No                                

• Site Characteristics:
Sets of four large reef modules (5 m high), open concrete structures, like a scaffold and separated about 10 to 15 meters. These structures are part of the extensive number of artificial reefs (67km) placed on the Algarve coast since 1990 by IPIMAR (Portuguese Institute of Marine Research) in order to create zones that would allow the concentration of fish thus increasing the production in sandy bottoms..

• Fauna:
This type of reef is a perfect home to a large diversity of animals. It is common the presence of large schools of breams, bibs and mackerels. With some frequency some large predators such as sea bass and sea breams are sighted, as well as big conger eels.

• Diving Tips:
Considering the depth of this dive, good planing should be made in order to avoid decompression stops. 

The anchor will be placed on a sandy bottom, near to one of the reef modules. If visibility permits (> 5 meters) you can easily distinguish the

contours of the nearest block. Otherwise follow the cables that 

connect them. Do not enter or attempt to force entry inside the reef. 

Observe the animals outside without the disturbing them. Finish the dive on the starting point, locate the cable anchor and go up. Do not forget the safety stop. Pay attention to the walls of the reefs that are covered with very small stinging white anemones.

Archeological Site Faro-A

Depth (minimum - maximum): -15 to -17 meters
Type of diving: Archeological Wreck
Snorkeling: No

• Site Characteristics: 
Presumed 17th century ship, whose identity remains unknown, sunk in front of Faro and discovered by two divers from Algarve (José Augusto and Miguel Galvão) in 1996. After three archeological campaigns held by the Portuguese Institute of Archeology (IGESPAR) / National Center for Nautical and Underwater Archeology (CNANS), a new protocol between this organization and Hidroespaço was established, allowing divers to explore this wreck with the aim of disclosing these findings and thus supporting future campaigns. In Portugal this protocol is a pioneer project. It is therefore an opportunity to participate live in the process of discovering a historical testimony that is being investigated. 

Situated about a mile off the island of Faro, the archaeological site is presented in the form of a nucleus with the remains of the cargo (iron rods) and several iron canons, spread over an area of about one hundred meters. 

• Fauna: 
The wreck itself acts as an artificial reef, on which one may find a large school of bibs. The cargo remains are used as shelter to a great number of conger eels, some of them with respectable size, as well as some spider-crabs.

• Diving tips: 

This is a dive where an excellent buoyancy control is necessary to enjoy it and to avoid damage to the findings.

Given the characteristics of the site, the anchor is placed away from the main structures. The descent is made on a permanent buoy, and divers are always, accompanied by a guide. Explore carefully and in detail the grouped cannons along the route cable. In one you can find a set of tin plates. Then the route continues through the debris field, where it might be possible to find some rays, culminating in the agglomerate load with about 20m long by 6m wide. 

CAUTION: 
In this area is forbidden to anchor, fish or dive, without previous permission by Portuguese Archeological Institute and local authorities.