What you will see
Flora, Macro life, Shoals of Fish, Wreck
Average Depth:
17mts
Maximum Depth:
21mts
Water Temperature:
16ºC-24ºC
The Terceirense was a 40m cargo ship that transported goods to Graciosa and other islands. In 1968 the ship struck a rock in bad weather and sank, no lives were lost. Sitting at a perfect dive depth, the wreck lays about 20m to the sand and is broken up into two main pieces, with flattened remains in between. I jumped in with my dive guide, Carlos, and protected by the nearby harbor, conditions were calm and there was no swell like on the previous dive.
Met with crystal clear conditions, I could see the stern from the moment we put our heads underwater. We were soon joined by a group of amberjack that stayed with us the entire dive. Heading towards the well-intact stern section, I could see the prominent propeller as we made our way around. The shallowest point of the wreck was around 12m and I examined the top of the hull with pretty purple marine algae growing on it and scorpionfish hiding with fish darting around. An eel poked its head out from one section of the ship and we moved towards the bow, over wreckage closer to the seafloor and did a lap around, observing more small fish and the ever-present amberjacks.
I slowed down and noticed several large yellow and orange tub worms that looked feather-like, swaying in the water movement. I also saw a dusky grouper partly concealed within the wreck and just his head sticking out. I managed to get two shots before he spooked and swam away. A few eels were playing the same game, with their tails backed into pipes of the ship and just their heads peeking out at me.
I found a few nudibranchs and many small, colorful wrasse swimming over the hull of the ship. There were bristle worms and scorpionfish.
On the seafloor were several flounders that blended perfectly with the sand.
--Spot description: Brandi Mueller
--Spot photos: Albano Mesquita, Brandi Mueller and Rui Guerra
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