Angra Bay Underwater Archaeological Park

The Angra Bay Underwater Archaeological Park occupies the seabed of the bay that opens south of the city of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island. Opened to the public in 2006, it is the first park of its kind in Portugal: a submerged museum where remnants of Atlantic navigation remain exactly where they sank, accessible to divers in just a few meters of water.

A Haven and a Shipwreck Graveyard

Since the 15th century, Angra Bay served as a mandatory stopover for fleets of the India Route and Brazil-bound ships, harboring vessels laden with gold, silver, porcelain, and spices before their final leg to Europe. Shielded from the prevailing north and northeast winds by the volcanic cone of Monte Brasil, the bay was nevertheless vulnerable to storms from the south and southwest, which over the centuries turned it into a graveyard of ships.

Records document traces of around 90 shipwrecks since 1552, making the bay one of the world’s most concentrated sites of shipwrecks from the Age of Discovery. Among the most dramatic episodes is the 1663 storm, which reportedly destroyed eleven Brazil-bound ships in a single tempest. Many of these vessels remain undiscovered, though around twenty sites have already been identified as archaeologically significant.

Few places encapsulate Angra’s dual nature so well: the port that enriched Atlantic navigation is also the underwater archive of its losses.

Visitable Sites

Within the park, two areas have been designated for underwater tourism. The first corresponds to the wreck of the Lidador, a passenger and cargo steamship that sank in 1878; its remains lie at about seven meters deep and a short distance from the coast, making them accessible even to novice divers.

The second is the Anchor Cemetery, stretching along the eastern slope of Monte Brasil between Fort São Benedito and the lighthouse area for about five hundred meters. Here lie dozens of anchors of various types and periods, some over three meters long, abandoned or lost by ships anchored since the 16th century. The collection vividly illustrates the intensity of maritime traffic the bay once witnessed.

Research and Protection

Scientific recognition of the bay led to the PIAS project, launched in 2006, dedicated to studying, monitoring, and promoting the sites. The area aligns with the safeguarding principles of the historic center of Angra do Heroísmo, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, extending the city’s strategic importance as a hub between Europe, Africa, and Asia beneath the water’s surface.

Framed within the principles of nautical and underwater archaeology, the park represents an in-situ conservation model: instead of removing artifacts to a land-based museum, they remain in their original context, balancing research with public engagement. For visitors to the Azores, it offers one of the archipelago’s most unique experiences and stands as one of the most significant examples of Portuguese archaeology dedicated to submerged cultural heritage.