Divers from the Divers Cape centre in Sagres managed to trace the remains of a wreck that they believe to be the 17^th century boat of Pedro Diaz. They also say that this wreck was varying gold when it was shipwrecked in the port of Baleeira, in 1608.

The divers were assisted by Spanish archaeologists who came with a bunch of specialist equipment, and together they were able to confirm the presence of large ancient oak fragment and metal bolts on the sea floor, thus supporting the idea that there are indeed the remains of Pedro Diaz’s craft.

It should be noted that the discovery correlates with archives that offer details related to the sinking of boats, Spanish or otherwise, over many centuries in or near Baleeira.

The boat’s name is unknown, but it is known to have been carrying gold and other precious metals as contraband.

Over the years, different gold objects washed ashore on the beach in the area near Baleeira, for instance in 1617, three gold bars were found, and then in 1625 another piece of gold was discovered.

The remains lie in sand at a depth of twelve meters, and it is feasible that other gold relics might be buried there, possibly further down.

The discovery has been reported to the proper authorities and the divers are awaiting confirmation of the identity of the find.

Obviously this isn’t the type of thing that you’ll be engaging in while on your trip to the region, but it does help to better accentuate that with the help of some Algarve car hire services, you can dive all around the coast at your will.

Each region’s particular activities, such as fishing, livestock breeding and agriculture are quite possibly the most direct influence on what the local inhabitants eat and drink, and as such have allowed for the development of specific gastronomic tastes.

The Algarve Coast

The main dishes on the coast are obviously based on fish and seafood in general. Tuna, sardines and shellfish are the most popular fish, but clams and cockles are also equally popular. Fishermen inhabit this region which means that every morning you can find fish and seafood, some excellent cooks also inhabit the region and this makes for some extremely tasty dishes from these ingredients.

One of the most traditional and well appreciated dishes in the region is ameijoas na Cataplana, the secret lies in the cooking process, because the clams are cooked in a special copper pan of Arab origin.

Some of the best ways of enjoying these foods are just slowly grilled over hot charcoal, silver sardines, sea-bream or red mullet, all are absolutely wonderful, there are the soups made of fish, skate or shrimps, and rice cooked and served with conger, razor clams or of course, octopus. For those who really love squid you can have it cooked in its ink, or cuttlefish fried in its ink, there are a plethora of options, we’re only mentioning a couple here.

So for the seafood enthusiasts out there, who want to experience some very traditional cooking, the coast of the Algarve is definitely the place to be.

Furthermore, with the help of our Algarve car hire services, you can drive around the coast and see what every place has to offer, you’ll notice variations from town to town.

The annual festival is in its third year and takes place in the town of Sagres, in the Western Algarve and it acts as one more incentive to visit the Algarve coast, which already sports plenty of attractive features for tourists, from the year-round warm temperatures, the great beaches and beautiful scenery.

The Festival takes place here because thanks to the geographical position of the Sagres peninsula, it becomes part of the main migratory corridor in Portugal starting with mid-August till November, period in which it’s possible to see thousands of birds crossing the sky, over 190 different species.

This region is ideal for bird watching however there are a number of other fantastic bird watching locations beyond Sagres, as follows:

The Castro Marim Natural Reserve

Located on the western coast is a wetland of international importance, hence why it is protected by law. The landscape is dominated by salt marches and there are several species of aquatic birds that can be seen here including the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, Little Stint Calidris minuta and the Spotted Redshank Tringa Erythropus.

The Ria Formosa Natural Park

This place consists of a long stretch of coastal dunes, barrier islands, peninsulas, canals, mudflats, and all manner of all sorts of quasy-aquatic and not so aquatic features – the latter category being woods and pine forests.

The very diverse geography means that the bird fauna will be equally varied so you can expect to see Eurasian Wigeon Anas Penelope, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola and Red Knot Calidris canutus.

These are just two of the places where bird watching can also be done in, rest assured that there are many more, and you can visit as many of them as you wish with the help of some Algarve car hire services.