Azores

[scubajunky17]

Hi All,
Where is the best diving in the Azores and which Island would be the best one to be based on ?

 

[David Novo]

When?

 

[scubajunky17]

Now, Santa Mari and Sao Miguel are my only options in August.
Everything booked out, crazy here

 

[David Novo]

Best diving in August would be Santa Maria or Faial/Pico.

São Miguel is better top side but if you are mainly diving go to Santa Maria.

The best dives there are Ambrósio and Dollabarat/Formigas.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thank you, that is basically what I have discovered.​

Unfortunately I can get to Pico but not return.​

Have emailed some dive centres in Santa Maria and they say they are fully booked, hopefully it will work out when I arrive.​

I'm there for 11 days.​

Thanks for your help.​

Any other information much appreciated.​

Thank you​

 

[David Novo]

Thank you, that is basically what I have discovered.​

Unfortunately I can get to Pico but not return.​

Have emailed some dive centres in Santa Maria and they say they are fully booked, hopefully it will work out when I arrive.​

I'm there for 11 days.​

Thanks for your help.​

Any other information much appreciated.​

Thank you​

I guess there are more flights to Faial than to Pico. They are very close to each other (30 min by ferry).

 

[Redtwo]

Thank you, that is basically what I have discovered.​

Unfortunately I can get to Pico but not return.​

Have emailed some dive centres in Santa Maria and they say they are fully booked, hopefully it will work out when I arrive.​

I'm there for 11 days.​

Thanks for your help.​

Any other information much appreciated.​

Thank you​

For what its worth, I dove with mantamaria in st.maria in 2016. Was great dive operator.
Save and smooth and great diving (altough i didn't do the mobula ray dives ). . Hopefully you will find a spot!

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Bucket list destination. Thank you for the good info. Please write a trip report when you can. Thanks.

 

[David Novo]

For what its worth, I dove with mantamaria in st.maria in 2016. Was great dive operator.
Save and smooth and great diving (altough i didn't do the mobula ray dives ). . Hopefully you will find a spot!

In August, as far as I have heard, there have been consistently whale sharks in the mobula ray cleaning station (Ambrósio) near Santa Maria.
I saw one in an offshore bank (Princess Alice), 3-4 hours from Faial/Pico in 2020 but Santa Maria in the Summer seems to be better for that lately.
Faial/Pico have the blue shark dives.

The mobula cleaning station is much closer in Santa Maria though. I was there in 2018 and did 3 dives in Ambrósio. I seem to remember more mobulas there, but was distracted in Princess Alice with the whale shark so hard to tell.

 

[mab929]

Hi, we are looking to go to Portugal April/May.... Any thing you recommend diving during those months?Who to book through and which company would be running during that time? I've reached out to one and they said they don't dive in May. I know the best times are June-September :/