Well, that's a tricky question... In fact, the dives I enjoyed most where located in Santa Maria :
- Ambrosia : just hanging on a cable hooked somewhere down below, enjoying the mobulas ballet, themselves surrounded by jacks circling the other way around, themselves coraled by barracudas. Myself, I was screening a juvy trigger fish from the big guys. Awesome ! I followed the DM orders to a T : relax, enjoy the show, and when you've got only 50 bars left, surface. I did that exactly and was the last one to out. Everybody on the boat was pissed with me, but I didn't give a second thought about it.
- the Formighas islands : a day trip to a shoal far away. The most uncaring groupers I've ever seen in my life. Getting so close to you and so slowly that you can count the copepods running on their backs ! And I've never seen so many black corrals so shallow, about 30 m. In the Med, if you're not deeper than 50 meters : no way !
But don't take me wrong, I enjoyed diving in Faial immensely. Scenery is different, many needle rocks coming from the depths, like church steeples, you follow along. And an average of at least 2 mobulas, every second dives, plus eagle rays regularly, jacks, tunas, I can't complain.
. Seems a shame as I’m looking forward to them a lot. Hopefully the weather plays ball
