Azores Diving Advice

[michaelsballard]

We will be in Portugal during the middle of June next year and are going to spend a week diving in the Azores. But we are having trouble deciding which island to call home base. They all boast some interesting dive sites, but some don't seem to have much to do out of the water.

Does anyone have a best experience they would be willing to share?

 

[Inanna08]

We're looking to book a trip to the Azores and would love your reflections!

 

[JMBL]

Spent a week on Santa Maria, and another one on Faial.

Santa Maria : for the mobulas ray

Faial : for blue sharks diving and Princess Alice bank

 

[CarstenS]

Spent a week on Santa Maria, and another one on Faial.

Santa Maria : for the mobulas ray

Faial : for blue sharks diving and Princess Alice bank

I spent two excellent weeks on Pico. Princess Alice for Mobulas, lots of blue sharks and an ( unusual) hammerhead (if you have no issues with chumming),huge wrasses, eagle rays, interesting caves/grottoes, black coral etc. and several different kinds of cetaceans close up. Topside, the highlands and the volcano itself are worth a trip in themselves, plus a surprisingly interesting whaling museums. Great food (surf and turf) and serious local wines, too. And Faial is minutes away across the straits and has a truly interesting port if you are into sailing boats. Be prepared for long trips on small boats in significant swell and consider diving dry if you are a wimp like me - water temp in late June/early July was 18-20 C on the open sea and down to 14 C after the second thermocline, which in high current hanging on a line fo an hour is doable but chilly for me in a 5 mil. If you have them, bring freediving fins for dolphin snorkeling. I‘d go back anytime.

Best, C.

 

[Inanna08]

I spent two excellent weeks on Pico. Princess Alice for Mobulas, lots of blue sharks and an ( unusual) hammerhead (if you have no issues with chumming),huge wrasses, eagle rays, interesting caves/grottoes, black coral etc. and several different kinds of cetaceans close up. Topside, the highlands and the volcano itself are worth a trip in themselves, plus a surprisingly interesting whaling museums. Great food (surf and turf) and serious local wines, too. And Faial is minutes away across the straits and has a truly interesting port if you are into sailing boats. Be prepared for long trips on small boats in significant swell and consider diving dry if you are a wimp like me - water temp in late June/early July was 18-20 C on the open sea and down to 14 C after the second thermocline, which in high current hanging on a line fo an hour is doable but chilly for me in a 5 mil. If you have them, bring freediving fins for dolphin snorkeling. I‘d go back anytime.

Best, C.

Thanks!! For what it's worth, we just returned from the Azores (trip end of June-early July 2022) and were quite disappointed by the diving. I took a 5.5mm semi-dry wetsuit and needed a 5mm vest underneath...suffice it to say that 18C underwater felt more like 15C. Take a 7mm and a vest and a hood/headband. It's a VERY windy island on boat rides and you need to ensure your ears are not compromised.

In retrospect, I would not dive Sao Miguel again. The divers kept talking about Wahoo Diving on Santa Maria, which has an EXCELLENT reputation and does regular off-shore dives. We dove with the reputable operation on Sao Miguel and though we signed up for and affirmed we'd pay for the spot, not enough divers showed up, so it was cancelled and we never went. After speaking to the dive guides who were there since March, they said they still haven't done an off-shore dive. Diving Sao Miguel is a mixed bag; cold, not many fish, some nice topography, cold, and zodiac rides (they also offer zodiac rides to off-shore locations---yes, a one way 3hr zodiac ride!). The dive operation on Sao Miguel confirmed we wouldn't see sharks without chumming, especially the blue sharks.

Top side, there were many beautiful hikes, waterfalls, natural warm springs along the ocean (what an experience!!), and nice road trips. The most diplomatic way to critique the food is to say Sao Miguel is not known as a gourmet temple...we were glad to have a kitchen in the B&B we rented in Candelaria. Next time we visit the Azores, we will be on Santa Maria.