Today, it has been 5 years since the former ship of the Portuguese Republic, the corvette “General Pereira d’Eça”, in Porto Santo, was sunk.

The purpose of the sinking was to create an artificial reef in a protected area, constituting a privileged place for the proliferation and observation of marine life and, simultaneously, an underwater museum and a tourist attraction in the area of ​​amateur diving.

We remind you that this corvette served the Portuguese Navy for over 40 years and that the artificial reef is located at a depth of about 30 meters. Together with the already existing “Madeirense”, Porto Santo has two artificial reefs that have thus boosted recreational diving, research, as well as the increase in the local fauna and flora.

Photograph: @Pedro Vasconcelos