Azores

The Azores are a volcanic archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, and the diving that pulls people here is offshore and seasonal. The marquee sites are seamounts: Princess Alice Bank, an isolated pinnacle rising from over 2,000m to a peak around 35m, roughly 45 miles southwest of Faial; and Condor Bank, about 22 miles off Faial.

Best time
Jul–Sep
Certification
Advanced open water
Budget
$$–$$$ · $2,000–4,000 to over $4,000
Trip length
5–10 days
Trip style
Land based, Day trip
Access
Moderate

The short version

Known forPrincess Alice Bank.

Main tradeoffWeather-dependent to a punishing degree: Atlantic swell cancels offshore boats often, and losing several planned dive days to wind is normal.

A shark swimming through deep blue open ocean water

Photo: Jeremy Bishop / Unsplash

Local operator matching

Find a dive centre for this trip

Share where you could go, when you can travel and your experience. We'll introduce up to three suitable local operators.

Free to request. No account needed. Submission is not a booking.

Find a dive centre

Start with where and when. Change anything we've pre-filled.

Where are you considering?

Keep this destination, replace it or add alternatives.

When could you travel?

Which months could work?

Plan within this destination

What works for your trip?

When are you going? (optional)

What do you want to see? (optional)

Your outlook

Explore 5 dive sites

Browse the map and wildlife below, or add an optional preference to narrow Azores.

Most relevant wildlife

  • Blue sharkJul–Oct
  • Sicklefin devil rayJun–Oct
  • Common dolphinJun–Oct
  • Bottlenose dolphinJun–Oct

Plan the trip

Links coming soon

Loading dive-site map…

5 sites shown.

Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Jul–Sep · Strong current · 15–24°C (coldest Feb, warmest Aug)
Best months Operating Closed / no trips
Current
Strong
Water temperature
15–24°C (coldest Feb, warmest Aug)
Visibility
10–35m: Coastal visibility runs about 10–15m in spring, opening to 25m+ in late summer.
Experience
Offshore seamount diving is advanced in practice: deep blue-water drift dives in current with no bottom reference, from a boat far from land.

01 · Marine life

What you may see

rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak seasondestination closed

Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.

Blue sharkPrionace glauca
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchdestination closed
Aprildestination closed
Maydestination closed
Junerare
Julypeak season
Augustpeak season
Septemberpeak season
Octoberpeak season
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Dived on baited drift dives at Condor Bank, kept shallow (above ~15m).

Sicklefin devil rayMobula tarapacana
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchdestination closed
Aprildestination closed
Maydestination closed
Junepeak season
Julypeak season
Augustpeak season
Septemberpeak season
Octoberpeak season
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Reliable in a normal summer at Princess Alice Bank and Baixa do Ambrósio, but sightings depend on making it out to the banks: weather cancels many trips.

Common dolphinDelphinus delphis
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchdestination closed
Aprildestination closed
Maydestination closed
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Frequently encountered on the boat, not usually on scuba.

Bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatus
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchdestination closed
Aprildestination closed
Maydestination closed
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Seen from the boat far more than on scuba.

See all 9 species
Dusky grouperOcean sunfish (mola)Shortfin mako sharkLoggerhead turtleWhale shark

02 · Dive sites

Dive sites worth knowing

A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.

01

Baixa da Barca

A coastal volcanic reef in the sheltered Faial channel off Pico.

10–30m · Moderate current

02

Baixa do Ambrósio

A marine reserve reef off Santa Maria where dozens of sicklefin devil rays gather each summer, schools sometimes topping 50 animals.

5–40m · Strong current

03

Condor Bank

A seamount about 22 miles off Faial and the main shark dive.

5–40m · Strong current

See all 5 dive sites
Monte da GuiaPrincess Alice Bank
03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsModerate. Fly to HOR. Typical trip $$–$$$.

Route overview

Moderate

Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight, a 3h boat crossing.

Airport options

HOR

Horta Airport (Faial)

Direct flights from Lisbon (LIS), plus inter-island SATA Air Açores hops; Faial is a main base for Condor Bank and Princess Alice trips

PIX

Pico Airport

Reached via Lisbon or São Miguel (PDL), or a short ferry across the Faial channel; Pico operators also run the seamounts

SMA

Santa Maria Airport

Via São Miguel (PDL); the base for Baixa do Ambrósio and its summer devil-ray aggregation

Typical trip cost

$$–$$$

$2,000–4,000 to over $4,000

Per person, excluding international flights.

  • Land-based, day-boat diving.
  • Coastal two-tank days run roughly €90–130.
  • Offshore seamount days cost more for the long crossing and bigger boats: Princess Alice and Condor day trips commonly run around €150–250 per person.
  • Budget extra days into any trip because weather cancels offshore boats regularly.

Sources & last checked

Checked July 2026

Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.

View 6 sources and checking notes

Note on the data: Coordinates for the region and sites are approximate. Princess Alice crossing time is cited variously as ~2 hours and up to ~3 hours depending on the operator and sea state; coded as 2–3.5h. Water temps are surface averages for Faial, not per-seamount readings. Whale-shark occurrence is genuinely occasional and August-weighted; coded conservatively. Barracuda at the seamounts are the European/yellowmouth barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis), not the tropical great barracuda, so great-barracuda was deliberately not reused. Water temperature: Surface averages for Faial; Pico, Faial and Santa Maria track within 1–2°C of each other. Coolest in late winter and early spring (roughly 15–16°C, Feb–Mar), peaking around 24°C in August. The swing is real — a 5–7mm wetsuit covers the summer season, with a drysuit or thicker exposure protection sensible early season and at depth on the seamounts. Access: Fly Lisbon (LIS) direct to Horta (HOR) on Faial or to Pico (PIX), or route via São Miguel (PDL) — typically one domestic/inter-island leg. Dive shops sit near the marinas, a short transfer from the airport. Diving is land-based day-boat, not liveaboard. The seamount crossings are the catch: Condor Bank is about 22 miles off Faial, and Princess Alice Bank is roughly 45 miles southwest, a 2–3.5 hour open-ocean run each way that swell cancels regularly. A typical Princess Alice day leaves the marina around 07:30 and returns near 17:30. Independently verified 2026-07-20 (confidence low). Seasonality correction spot-checked and confirmed by the founder 2026-07-20; raised low → medium.