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# Secrets from the depths
- URL: https://tombrewer.co.uk/secrets-from-the-depths/
- Published: 2025-08-30T17:18:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-21T09:34:39.000Z
- Author: Tom Brewer
- Tags: Newsletter, #Migrated-1789982889005, #Import 2026-09-21 09:29

## Caloura

![](https://tombrewer.co.uk/content/images/2026/09/20d9dd49-836e-474f-b6df-b1400f589296_9451x5316-jpeg-1.jpg)

Ponta da Galera is a rocky outcrop on São Miguel’s south coast near Caloura, in the municipality of Lagoa. Its lava-formed cliffs are now part of a Special Area of Conservation. Beneath the surface, rocky platforms and hidden caves give shelter to a vibrant display of marine life. Rays of sunlight pierced the surface to dazzling effect, silvery flashes exploding in every direction as shoals of fish darted and turned. I spent over two hours in the water today, floating, diving down and taking in every detail below the surface, mesmerised by the variety and vibrancy of marine life.

## Calhau Miúdo

![](https://tombrewer.co.uk/content/images/2026/09/67684fd2-e18c-49bd-bc47-44598880201f_9504x5346-jpeg.jpg)

We headed back to Capelas later in the afternoon, our refuge on the North West fringe of the island. A short walk from our AirBnB we discovered Calhau Miúdo, a rocky shore where the waves from the Atlantic roared in over jet black volcanic boulders. As the backwash dragged the pebbles and rocks over each other and the water returned to the sea, the noise was almost thunderous; you could feel the energy just stood on the shore. We watched the sunset here, mesmerised by the sea and the crashing waves.

It turned out that this hidden and easy-to-overlook spot on the coast was actually a significant part of the island's history. It was here, in July 1884, that São Miguel’s first whaling operations began, with rudimentary processing stations known as traióis constructed to render whale oil directly on the shore. We hadn’t set out on this trip in pursuit of historical tales, but the past has a way of appearing unannounced here. Compared with other European civilisations stretching back thousands of years, the Azores have only been inhabited for about six centuries. Yet for all its youth, the islands’ stories are vivid, layered, and impossible to ignore, a fascinating thread woven through our time here.

![](https://tombrewer.co.uk/content/images/2026/09/d22745bd-ebf3-4eb0-bf3f-4188e7cc2093_9504x5346-jpeg.jpg)