Cemitério das Âncoras (Anchor Graveyard)

The site sits inside the Bay of Angra on the south coast of Terceira, a naturally sheltered harbour where currents are typically weak. The bulk of Terceira to the north blocks the dominant W-NW Atlantic groundswell, and the Monte Brasil headland to the southwest shields the W-SW sector, so the only real exposure window is the southern arc — SE through S — opening to the open Atlantic. A sustained southerly blow or a distant S-SSE swell is what builds surface chop in the bay and can reduce visibility or force dives to be postponed; from most other directions the bay stays calm, which is exactly why Angra has served as a wintering harbour for centuries.