Standing away from the coast, the entire formation was driven southeast by contrary winds and currents into the vicinity of the Abrolhos (rocks 300 kilometres or 200 miles off Brazil at about 18 degrees south latitude, their name deriving from the Portuguese phrase "abre olhos-eyes open-intended" as a warning of the half-submerged dangers).

[6] During Pater's voyage two of his ships became separated, leaving the Dutch admiral with his 46-gun, 1,000-ton flagship of the Dutch fleet Prins Willem and 50-gun, 800-ton Vice-flagship Geunieerde Provintien; 38-gun Provincie Ultrecht; 34-gun Walcheren; 32-gun Griffoen and Groeningen; 30-gun Hollandia and Oliphant; 28-gun Amersfoort and Goeree; 26-gun Mercurius; 24-gun Dordrecht; 22-gun Medemblik; 20-gun Fortuijn and Wapen van Hoorn; plus 14-gun Niew Nederlandt.

Pater bore down in faint east-northeasterly breezes upon Oquendo, who was 10 km (6 mi) distant, having ordered his 17 Spanish and Portuguese galleons to interpose in a half-moon crescent between the enemy and the convoy.

[7] Fighting began around mid-morning, when Vice Admiral de Vallecilla's San Antonio opened fire on Thijssen's advancing Geunieerde Provintien, which closed into board along with Provincie Ultrecht.

[6] Cosme do Couto Barbosa attempted to support Santiago de Oliste, only to drift helplessly beneath the combined guns of Prins Willem and Walcheren and be sunk.

[8] About 4 pm, a shot from de Oquendo's flagship started a blaze aboard Prins Willem, which the Spanish admiral cleverly directed his musketeers to fire at, so as to hamper Dutch fire-fighting efforts.

About this same time, de Vallecilla's vice-flag, San Antonio, broke up and went down by its stern, taking most of the complement, while its Dutch foe Provincie Ultrecht sheered off in flames and was later sunk.

The remaining Dutch vessels were content to fire from long range – Hollandia, Amersfoort, and Fortuijn being the only others to become closely engaged-while the Spaniards responded in kind.

[6] Oquendo meanwhile deposited his reinforcements at Barra Grande of Porto Calvo – only 700 of them actually reached Fort Arrail do Bom Jesus – before continuing toward Europe with his sugar convoy.