Bay of Refugo (), literally the ''bay of scrap'', is a natural

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

within the coastal extent of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Porto Judeu Porto Judeu is a ''freguesia'' ("parish") in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira Island, Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 2,501, in an area of 30.27 km2. It contains the localities Banda da Canada ...

, in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Angra do Heroísmo Angra do Heroísmo (), or simply Angra, is a city and municipality on Terceira Island, Portugal, and one of the three capital cities of the Azores. Founded in 1478, Angra was historically the most important city in the Azores, as seat of the Roma ...

, on the Portuguese island of

Terceira Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, about a third of the way across the North Atlantic Ocean at a similar latitude to Portugal's capital Lisbon, with the island group forming an insular part of Portugal. It is one of the ...

(in the archipelago of the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

). It also refers to the small swimming area that faces into the bay.

History

The beach was formed through the erosion of volcanically-produced lava that originated during a series of

eruption A volcanic eruption occurs when material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has ...

s that formed the Guilherme Moniz volcano in 1761. Lavas flowed to the sea by way of the hamlet of Serretinha in the

of Feteira in the direction of Porto Judeu. The lava's path is still traceable: an area of scorched land characterized by black blocks of basalt mixed with large amounts of slag. When the lava flow neared the sea, it spread out and entered the salt water at several points, among them the Bay of Refugo. On 28 August 1893, a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

, at the time the largest storm in human memory, caused tremendous

tidal surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

s together with punishing winds that ruined homes, churches, and barns that surrounded the bay. Ports were battered and a large number of vessels were lost. The damage caused by this hurricane is still visible near some sections of the southern coast, particularly in the former and now abandoned Church of São Mateus da Calehta (''Igreja Velha de São Mateus da Calheta'') and the homes of the Bay of Refugo. Prior to these lava flows, the area was a small semi-sheltered cove used by fishermen to tie-up their boats. Today, the area is classified by the Government of the Azores as a Class 1 bathing beach (according to the definition spelled out in Regional Decree 1/2005/A, 15 February 2005); it has a fresh-water swimming pool and a well-equipped children's playground.

History

See also