Photo: Jeremy Bishop / Unsplash
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. In summer these banks draw pelagics — schools of sicklefin devil rays (Mobula tarapacana), blue sharks that approach on baited drift dives, big shoals of amberjack and barracuda, and the occasional whale shark in August. The season is narrow. Offshore trips run roughly June to October and peak July to September, when the sea is calmest, warmest and clearest; outside those months the crossings largely don't run and the water is cold. Getting to Princess Alice means a 2–3.5 hour boat ride each way over open ocean, and swell cancels trips regularly. This is deep, blue-water diving in current — advanced. Whale and dolphin watching from boats is a major draw, but scuba with cetaceans is not permitted here, and in-water encounters are tightly regulated. The Pico–Faial channel also has calmer volcanic coastal sites for the days the banks are blown out.
What makes it special
- Princess Alice Bank — an offshore pinnacle famous for carousels of sicklefin devil rays (Mobula tarapacana), often in groups of 20–40
- Blue sharks on baited drift dives at Condor Bank, with shortfin makos occasionally joining
- Baixa do Ambrósio off Santa Maria, one of the world's most reliable summer sicklefin devil-ray aggregations, shallow enough for snorkellers in calm conditions
- Volcanic underwater terrain — pinnacles, arches and drop-offs from the islands' seamount geology
Price range
$$–$$$
Trip length
5–10 days
Diver level
Advanced open water
Trip type
Land based, Day trip
Price is per person for a typical trip, excluding international flights ($$ $2,000–4,000 to $$$ over $4,000).
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.
Best time to dive
- Current
- Strong
- Water temp
- 15–24°C (coldest Feb, warmest Aug)
- Visibility
- 10–35m — Coastal visibility runs about 10–15m in spring, opening to 25m+ in late summer. Offshore over the seamounts is clearer, often 25–35m in the deep blue water.
- Getting there
- Moderate — Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight, a 3h boat crossing.
- 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. Operators expect Advanced Open Water and solid experience. Blue-shark dives are shallow (kept above ~15m) but happen in open ocean off a drifting boat. The Pico–Faial coastal sites are more forgiving and suit Open Water divers.
Nearest airports
- 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)
Marine life
Sightings are never guaranteed — the bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | not seen |
| February | not seen |
| March | not seen |
| April | not seen |
| May | not seen |
| June | rare |
| July | peak season |
| August | peak season |
| September | peak season |
| October | peak season |
| November | not seen |
| December | not seen |
Dived on baited drift dives at Condor Bank, kept shallow (above ~15m). Curious and often close, but never guaranteed and weather-dependent.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | not seen |
| February | not seen |
| March | not seen |
| April | not seen |
| May | rare |
| June | peak season |
| July | peak season |
| August | peak season |
| September | peak season |
| October | peak season |
| November | rare |
| December | not seen |
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. Absent outside the summer season.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
A genuine rarity here, not a reason to book. Occasional August sightings are reported over the offshore banks; do not expect one.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Frequently encountered on the boat, not usually on scuba. Swimming with dolphins is legal but tightly regulated — snorkel only, never scuba, no more than two swimmers at a time near the vessel.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Mola pass through in summer, often near the surface over deep water; sightings are luck-of-the-day.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Genuinely occasional — a bonus rather than a reason to book. Same summer window as the blue sharks.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Seen from the boat far more than on scuba. Snorkel encounters are permitted but regulated (snorkel only, two swimmers maximum, 15-minute limit); scuba with dolphins is not allowed.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
The Azores are a known developmental habitat for juvenile loggerheads riding the Gulf Stream; encounters are occasional and mostly in the blue.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Not a pelagic-season animal — a resident reef fish, useful on the coastal days.
Dive sites
Worth knowing before you book
- Weather-dependent to a punishing degree — Atlantic swell cancels offshore boats often, and losing several planned dive days to wind is normal. Build in spare days.
- Princess Alice is a 2–3.5 hour boat ride each way over open ocean; the days are long and seasickness is common on the crossing.
- The pelagic season is short and summer-only. Offshore trips run roughly June–October, peak July–September, and largely don't operate the rest of the year.
- Cool-temperate water — around 16–17°C in late winter and spring, only reaching 23–24°C in August. Plan on a 5–7mm wetsuit or a drysuit early in the season.
- Seamount diving is deep blue-water drift diving in current with no reference — advanced, and not the place to build first ocean experience.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.
- Princess Alice — CW Azores
- Azores Diving: When to Visit for Mantas, Sharks, and Seamounts — LiveAboard.com
- Epic Pelagic Action Awaits Divers in the Azores — Scuba Diving Magazine
- Sharks, whales and rays — diving and snorkeling in the Azores — ZuBlu
- Faial Island Water Temperature by Month — Sea Temperature
- Diving in the Azores — PADI
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.