Batelão
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Location
Sesimbra
Dive Type
Recreational
Dive Site
Sea
What you will see
Rock Formations, Sandy bottom, Sea Life, Wreck
Average Depth:
8mts
Maximum Depth:
14mts
Water Temperature:
16-20
Just a short boat ride outside of the harbor is the dive site Batelão and the dive starts out on a
small wreck of a barge that is covered in marine life. Anemones, algae and other marine life
coat the wreck and on close inspection there are small fish living within the furry growth. Larger
fish swim over the wreck too and it’s tough to decide where to look: do you keep searching for
little stuff or keep your head up to see the bigger fish swimming by?
After exploring the length of the barge, I realized that the wreck was only the beginning of this
dive. I followed the dive guide closer to the concrete structures that make the break-water for
the harbor. These are also covered in growth and fish have turned the man-made structures into
their home. We found a cuttlefish hiding just above the sand and several octopus weaving in
and out of the crevasses in the concrete. Schools of fish swim around us in one direction and
then dart back past us again in the direction they initially came from.
Looking close revealed macro life including a few nudibranchs, blennies perched on rocks and
flounders in the sand. As the dive was nearing the end we found a John Dory, which has to be
one of the most interesting-looking fish there is. The shallow dive with averaged 6m allowed for
lots of bottom time and I turned the John Dory into my model, taking many photos from all
angles. I even swam off to see what else I could find and then decided to turn back and take a
few more images of it. Batelão is a fun, easy and relaxing dive with plenty to see, a great way to
spend a morning or afternoon dive.
-- Spot description by Brandi Mueller
-- Photos by Albano Mesquita, Brandi Mueller And Rui Guerra
Back
small wreck of a barge that is covered in marine life. Anemones, algae and other marine life
coat the wreck and on close inspection there are small fish living within the furry growth. Larger
fish swim over the wreck too and it’s tough to decide where to look: do you keep searching for
little stuff or keep your head up to see the bigger fish swimming by?
After exploring the length of the barge, I realized that the wreck was only the beginning of this
dive. I followed the dive guide closer to the concrete structures that make the break-water for
the harbor. These are also covered in growth and fish have turned the man-made structures into
their home. We found a cuttlefish hiding just above the sand and several octopus weaving in
and out of the crevasses in the concrete. Schools of fish swim around us in one direction and
then dart back past us again in the direction they initially came from.
Looking close revealed macro life including a few nudibranchs, blennies perched on rocks and
flounders in the sand. As the dive was nearing the end we found a John Dory, which has to be
one of the most interesting-looking fish there is. The shallow dive with averaged 6m allowed for
lots of bottom time and I turned the John Dory into my model, taking many photos from all
angles. I even swam off to see what else I could find and then decided to turn back and take a
few more images of it. Batelão is a fun, easy and relaxing dive with plenty to see, a great way to
spend a morning or afternoon dive.
-- Spot description by Brandi Mueller
-- Photos by Albano Mesquita, Brandi Mueller And Rui Guerra