Biscoitos Natural Pools — Terceira, Azores
Piscinas Naturais dos Biscoitos · Biscoitos, Praia da Vitória, Terceira, Azores · bathing area since 1969
Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0); taken 10 July 2007; cropped and resized.
The Biscoitos natural pools are seawater pools among black basalt on the north coast of Terceira in the Azores. The Azores government describes them as rock formations left by lava flows that reached the sea, and its route page says they have been open to the public as a bathing area since 1969. The parish around them is known for Verdelho wine. Source Source Source Checked
The Azores government’s bathing-water profile for Biscoitos, drawn up in May 2024, lists the 2024 bathing season (15 June to 15 September) and a Blue Flag for 2024. The newest dated photograph found on Wikimedia Commons is from July 2023 (date given by the uploader). Three searches found no 2025–2026 news of damage, closure or works. Source Reported
More photos
💡 5 things to know
- Made by lavaThe official bathing-water profile describes a set of natural pools shaped by basalt rock formations that came from lava flows reaching the sea. Source Source Checked
- Open since 1969The Azores government’s route page says the pools have been open to the public since 1969. Source Source Source Checked
- Wine countryExplore Terceira says the surrounding area is a wine region where the Azores’ Verdelho wine is produced. Source Source Checked
- Lava from Pico GordoAccording to Postal, the rock came from eruptions of Pico Gordo, a volcanic cone in central Terceira, about 4,500 years ago. No official source opened gives this figure. Source Source Reported
- Blue Flag most yearsThe official profile lists a Blue Flag for 2017–2019 and 2021–2024, with none in 2020, and water quality rated Excellent every year from 2015 to 2023. Source Source Checked
📍 Where it is
Zona Balnear dos Biscoitos, Biscoitos, Praia da Vitória, on the north coast of Terceira, Azores. Source Checked
Opens a map at 38.80326, -27.257417; no Street View panorama was checked for this file.
🗓️ Sightings
- 200710 Jul
Footbridge over the pools · Vitor Oliveira · camera date
- 200710 Jul
Bathers in the main pool · Vitor Oliveira · camera date
- 20101 Aug
The pools · GualdimG · camera date
- 201724 Jan
The “Belo Abismo” rock · Feli García · camera date
- 202025 Jul
Bathers by the slipway · Diego Delso · camera date
- 202231 Aug
A quiet pool among the lava · GualdimG · camera date
- 20233 May
Lava rocks at the pools · Luis Andrade Rodrigues · camera date
- 2023Jul
Footbridge and pools · Cappo80 · uploader’s date
- 202326 Jul
On the Azores Blue Flag list for 2023
- 2024May
Official profile: 2024 season, Blue Flag
- 202413 May
Feature in Postal
Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.
🗞️ In the sources
Conheça esta piscina natural de água cristalina que é ‘pérola do Atlântico’
“só em 1969 é que as piscinas naturais foram adaptadas para banhos”
It was only in 1969 that the natural pools were adapted for bathing.
Las piscinas naturales más increíbles de Portugal, entre rocas negras y a 21 grados
“En 1969, estas piscinas fueron adaptadas para el baño”
In 1969 these pools were adapted for bathing.
✅ The facts
- Original name
- Piscinas naturais dos Biscoitos; official bathing area name: Zona Balnear dos Biscoitos Source Source Checked
- Builder of the 1969 works
- Not named in any source opened Source Unconfirmed
- First on Terceira
- First pools on the island adapted for public use, according to byAçores Source Reported
- Origin of the lava
- Eruptions from Pico Gordo about 4,500 years ago, according to Postal Source Source Reported
🔗 Related
All sources & image credits
- Governo dos Açores, Direção Regional de Políticas Marítimas: Perfil de Água Balnear – Biscoitos, PTAL7K (May 2024)
- Governo dos Açores: Perfil de Água Balnear – Biscoitos, PTAL7K (Jan 2023)
- Governo dos Açores: Lista de zonas balneares com a Bandeira Azul hasteada nos Açores no ano 2023 (updated 26 Jul 2023)
- Governo dos Açores, Rotas: Terceira – Alagoa, Biscoitos, Pico Matias Simão, Algar do Carvão and Furnas do Enxofre (undated)
- Explore Terceira: Zona Balnear dos Biscoitos (page modified 27 Mar 2023)
- byAçores: Natural Pools of Biscoitos – Terceira Island, Azores (6 Aug 2019, updated 17 Oct 2024)
- Postal: Conheça esta piscina natural de água cristalina que é ‘pérola do Atlântico’ (13 May 2024, Gonçalo Viegas)
- Directo al Paladar: Las piscinas naturales más increíbles de Portugal, entre rocas negras y a 21 grados (24 May 2024, Jaime de las Heras)
- Wikipédia (pt): Piscinas naturais dos Biscoitos (no references listed; used for the Portuguese name only)
- Wikimedia Commons: Ponta dos Piscinas Naturais da Ponta dos Biscoitos – Ilha Terceira – Portugal (6154858161) (10 Jul 2007, Vitor Oliveira)
- Wikimedia Commons: Piscinas naturais da Ponta dos Biscoitos – Ilha Terceira – Portugal (2214240834) (10 Jul 2007, Vitor Oliveira)
- Wikimedia Commons: Piscinas naturais dos Biscoitos (1 Aug 2010, GualdimG)
- Wikimedia Commons: Biscoitos, piscinas naturales (33044878330) (24 Jan 2017, Feli García)
- Wikimedia Commons: Piscinas naturales, Biscoitos, isla de Terceira, Azores, Portugal, 2020-07-25, DD 45 (25 Jul 2020, Diego Delso)
- Wikimedia Commons: Piscinas naturais dos Biscoitos 01 (31 Aug 2022, GualdimG)
- Wikimedia Commons: Piscinas naturais dos Biscoitos 05 (31 Aug 2022, GualdimG)
- Wikimedia Commons: Biscoitos Piscinas (3 May 2023, Luis Andrade Rodrigues)
- Wikimedia Commons: Piscine naturali Biscoitos 2023 (Jul 2023, Cappo80)
- Hero image: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0); cropped and resized.
- More photos: Feli García / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0, 2017); GualdimG / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, 2022).
Last checked: 10 November 2026 · How we verify art