There are many freshwatersprings on the beach, visible during low tide when they bubble through the sand on the beach. The unusual springs were documented by Arab writers[who?].
The springs have long been used by locals for drinking water and for washing clothes.
Today, they are referred to as Bulicame, which means "thermal fount" in Italian, thus tying the "Olheiros de Água Doce" to Genoese, Venetian, and Sicilianwhalers and tunafishermen. These people, during the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth centuries, demanded the Algarvecoast for their use, and went to Olhos de Água (i.e. the Bulicame that existed on the sand) for essential drinking water.