Rock formations
down to 10 m
Boca do Ilhéu
- Open Water
Azores
Diving in Portugal
20 documented dive sites, 4 of them for Open Water divers. Known for blue sharks, sperm whales and dolphins.
- Best months
- Jul–Oct
- Water
- 16–25 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
- Diving from
- Day boats
- Nearest airport
- PDL
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Azores in October
Best season- Sea
- 22 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 22 °C
- 19 °C at night
- Rain
- 140 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 17 km/h
- on average
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Season Mar–Nov, peak Jul–Oct. Offshore banks (Princess Alice, Condor) for blue sharks and mobulas.
Dive sites in Azores
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Offshore seamount dives are for advanced divers.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m4 sitesRock formations
down to 18 m
Cozinha
Huge boulders, canyons and swim-throughs on the east side of Vila Franca islet, with groupers, morays and a chance of sting or eagle rays.
- Open Water
- Eagle rays
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m8 sitesPinnacle
down to 50 m
Ambrósio
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
Drift
down to 22 m
Ilhéu West
Drift along the west wall of Vila Franca islet, cut by huge canyons, with a chance of huge stingrays on the sand below.
- Advanced
- Stingrays
Rock formations
down to 24 m
Baixa das Cracas
- Advanced
- Rays
Rock formations
Baixa do Hotel
- Advanced
- Mobula rays
For experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m8 sites
Princess Alice Bank (Banco Princesa Alice)
Offshore seamount 3 hours from Pico/Faial, rising to about 35 m, known for devil rays and visibility up to 40 m.
- Experienced
- Pinnacle
- Mobula rays
Dollabarat
- Experienced
- Drift
- Manta rays
Rock formations
down to 60 m
Formigas East
Offshore marine reserve reef with 25 m+ visibility, schools of jacks, tunas and barracudas, and big groupers that come close.
- Experienced
- Mobula rays
Pelagic
down to 60 m
Formigas North
Remote reefs north of the Formigas Islets, a marine reserve where large migratory pelagics such as tunas, wahoos and barracudas pass.
- Experienced
- Mobula rays
Rock formations
down to 60 m
Formigas West
Formigas Islets reserve dive where smooth hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, devil rays and giant mantas are possible.
- Experienced
- Mobula rays
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue sharksSource: cwazores.com | ||||||||||||
| Mobula raysSource: zubludiving.com | ||||||||||||
| Sperm whalesSource: zubludiving.com | ||||||||||||
| DolphinsSource: zubludiving.com | ||||||||||||
| Whale sharksSource: liveaboard.com | ||||||||||||
| Manta raysSource: liveaboard.com | ||||||||||||
| Mako sharksSource: cwazores.com | ||||||||||||
| Humpback whalesSource: zubludiving.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Blue sharks: Jul–Oct. Mobula rays: Jul–Oct. Sperm whales: All year. Dolphins: All year. Whale sharks: Jul–Sep. Manta rays: Jul–Sep. Mako sharks: Jul–Oct. Humpback whales: Oct
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Schooling pelagics
- Barracuda
- Trevally
- Nudibranchs
- Groupers
- Moray eels
- Hammerhead sharks
- Turtles
- Stingrays
- Mola mola (sunfish)
Where is the Azores?
- Nearest airport
- PDL
- How people dive here
- Day boats
Azores: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Azores?
- The best months to dive Azores are Jul–Oct. Season Mar–Nov, peak Jul–Oct. Offshore banks (Princess Alice, Condor) for blue sharks and mobulas.
- Is Azores good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 4 of the 20 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Boca do Ilhéu, Cozinha and Âncoras do Ilhéu. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Azores?
- The water is usually between 16 °C and 25 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Azores?
- Divers regularly see blue sharks (Jul–Oct), mobula rays (Jul–Oct), sperm whales (all year), dolphins (all year), schooling pelagics and barracuda.
- How do you dive Azores?
- The nearest airport is PDL. Ways to dive here: day boats.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Coastline of Faial island, Azores, JopkeB, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Divers on the Princess Alice Bank, Azores, Waielbi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- The Formigas islets above the Dollabarat reef, Azores, Formigas_Islets.jpg: Fernando Tempera derivative work: JotaCartas (talk), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash
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