The Seagrasses of Ria Formosa

Seagrasses are distributed throughout the oceans, coastal waters, lagoons and estuaries. They occupy large extensions of sand or mudbanks and up to depths of 30 meters or more.

Seagrasses consist of plants that once coloured our fields and due to the evolutionary process left land and made the water their new home therefore known as marine plants or marine weeds.

Ria Formosa is one of the prime locations in Portugal for their development. Visitors of Ria Formosa can observe enormous extensions of seagrasses and thanks to them Ria Formosa is a well of natural richness.

Segrasses are home to several marine animals that look for protection from currents and waves and also for hiding from predators and live in safety. In the seagrasses we can find animals such as the Cuttlefish, Seahorses, Clams, Octopus and Crabs among others.

The leaves of the marine plants are great shelters for the marine animals to leave their eggs and they are alsoare also a delicious snack for some fishes and aquatic birds.

Due to the large quantity of seagrasses, the Ria Formosa has to date the largest community of Seahorses in the world. These nice and very sensitive creatures use their tails to grab on to the plants.

Come visit the seagrasses and a lot more with us in a wonderful Boat Tour along Ria Formosa with departures from Olhão.