Dive trip Sao Miguel Island
Stay, Diving holidays in the Azores, in Sao Miguel Island
São Miguel is the largest island in the Azores archipelago, 60 km long and 15 km wide.
Nicknamed "the green island", it is an ideal destination to combine
diving and nature. Between lakes, craters, forests, natural pools, and cliffs
overlooking a clear sea, Sao Miguel offers breathtaking landscapes. A veritable
lush and multicolored garden where Atlantic and tropical flora mix, you will
discover tea and exotic fruit plantations that have contributed to the island's
enrichment.
The underwater landscape is just as beautiful. The twenty or so dive sites around
Sao Miguel offers an underwater topography composed of caves, canyons, and lava flow that shelter groupers, morays, wrasse, and manta rays. A must during your dive trip to Sao Miguel: whale watching! The ideal time to admire them is from June to September.
Marine species in the area
Dive sites
The south
coast of Sao Miguel is the starting point for divE sites. The earth's relief
extends into the water with a volcanic rock machined into caves, casings, and
canyons. Arcos de
Caloura is located in a protected bay. Very nice place for snorkeling. Opening
of a cave at a depth of 16 meters with many nudibranchs on the walls.
Amora is
located between Ponta Garça and Ribeira Quente, with large rocks set on a sandy
bottom. At 28 meters, it is possible to observe large groupers. In the blue,
schools of horse mackerel, pompano, and sometimes barracuda.
Baixa do
Espelho, the Espelho shoal, is located opposite Relva and is about 200 meters
from the shore. To see a small cave with black coral branches. On the bottom, at
23 meters, stingrays.
Cabeços do
Ilhéu is one of the 4 deepest shoals in the area, from 25 to 45 meters, bathed
by the current, which makes it a dive spot reserved for experienced divers.
To see: large branches of black coral and, during the summer, flights of Mobula rays.
At Fontes
Hidrotermais, the dive is located in a very active seismic zone. It is, therefore, possible to admire the curtains of bubbles of air coming out of the
bottom. Lourenços
starts at 24 meters and drops to 45 meters. The current is moderate to very
established. Keep your eyes open: pelagic passage!
In Âncoras
do Ilhéu we discover about ten anchors more than 2 meters high for some and
dating back more than 100 years, placed between 14 and 22 meters. Their
presence is due to the proximity of the ancient capital Vila Franca do Campo
where the boats were anchored. An ideal dive for history buffs!
Baixa das
Castanhetas is located about 500 meters from the coast. Relief of caves,
tunnels with a complex network of canyons. At a depth of 12 meters, 3 openings
of a large cave that shelters jacks and groupers. From there starts a long and
narrow tunnel where small nudibranchs and dozens of apogons coexist. Part of
the site is a vertical drop-off falling to more than 45 meters, where it is not
uncommon to dive with Mobula rays. These significant differences in depth make it a
site for all levels. Baixa do
Frade is located 20 meters from the coast, near the Ponta Garça lighthouse. The dive site starts at a depth of 7 meters and then goes down to 14 meters.
Scuba diving in Sao Miguel allows exploring the wreck of the Dori, a
Liberty-Ship built during the Second World War in the United States. He had
participated in Operation Overlord, on the Normandy coast, then sank 800 meters
off the coast, near Ponta Delgada in 1964. The stern is 9 meters on a sandy
bottom and the bow 20 meters. Fishing is prohibited in this area, and
underwater fauna is very abundant.
Others Activities
Enjoy many
walks in volcanic landscapes shaped by black basalt flow, high cliffs and
steep valleys, covered with very green forests, grasslands, Japanese cedars and
rivers. Go on an excursion
around crater lakes like the "Sete Cidades" - Seven cities - and
enjoy a magnificent view of Vista do Rei, on two lakes, one green and the other
blue with the arches of a bridge spanning them. A detour should be made to the
ferruginous hot springs of brown color in Caldeira Velha and Terra Nostra
Park.
In Furnas,
we see dozens of thermal springs with sparkling water. The cooking of the
dishes takes place in the soil, boiling with the natural heat of the earth due
to seismic activity. Why not
enjoy a mud bath in Poça da Beija? We also recommend a detour to the tea bushes of the Gorreana and
Porto Formoso plantations for a tea tasting.
Don't miss
the grey volcanic sand beaches in Pópulo, Vinha da Areia and Ribeira Quente on
the southern side of the island. Also, admire the superb sunsets around the
islets of Vila Franca do Campo and Mosteiros.
With its
black basalt facades lacerated with white mortar and its manor houses with
wrought-iron balconies, the city of Ponta Delgada, is worth a visit. It is
possible to discover an ancestral tradition: the manufacture of ceramics and
pottery.
Sao Miguel Island : Dive shops
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Season Challenge Azores Islands
Azores
- Ponta Delgada

Season Challenge Azores Islands Diving Center is located on the marina Pêro de Teive, in Ponta Delgada. Vans with 6 seats are used to transport equipment and clients to their hotels, free of charge. Open all year round from 8 am to 8 pm, the centre has to change rooms with toilets and hot showers. Free tea, coffee, and water are available. See you at the booking office for land and sea activities. A PureAir certified inflation station by Bauer allows the inflation of nitrox and trimix blocks. The rental equipment is from Cressi.
Embark for two dives per day, aboard two RIBs of 6 and 14 divers, each equipped with GPS, sonar, VHF, and radar. The 10-meter Challenge, with a capacity of 14 divers, is well prepared for long trips and offshore dives. The Season, 6.25 meters long, with a capacity of 6 divers, is used for small groups and coastal dives. The equipment is carried by the center. If the number of participants is sufficient, day trips are offered with lunch on board. These offshore dives, far from the coast, allow you to observe manta rays in the open sea.
Accompanying persons are welcome on board if there is room. PADI courses are offered from beginner to Divemaster level as well as technical diving courses. Take the opportunity to visit Ponta Delgada and its cultural sites, hikes for all levels of difficulty with a guide, and the tour of the island by van to the village and lake of Furnas with Season Challenge Azores Islands Diving Center. [+]
- fast boat
- Free hotels transfer
- PADI Training
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Espirito Azul
Azores
- Vila Franca do Campo
   
The Espirito Azul diving center is located in the marina of Vila Franca do Campo, on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores. Open every day of the year, you make an appointment at Espirito Azul in the morning at 9 am and in the afternoon at 2 pm. For day trips, departure is at 7:00 am with a picnic provided. At Espirito Azul, you will find changing rooms with hot and cold showers, toilets, a store, a workshop to have your equipment serviced, a nitrox, trimix, and oxygen filling station, a room, and a pool of 3, 7, 10, 12 and 15-liter diving cylinders (DIN and INT) with one or two outings. The equipment is provided by Espirito Azul.
Fifteen complete sets of equipment are available for rent. There is space to rinse and store your personal equipment. Don't hesitate to bring your rebreather too! When you take your nitrox training at Espirito Azul, you get free nitrox during all your stays in the Espirito Azul dive school! PADI courses for beginners are offered from Discover Scuba Diver to Advanced Open Water Diver. At Espirito Azul, expect two exploration dives per day on one of the 3 RIB boats, starting from the marina of Vila Franca do Campo.
Dives include skipper, guide, boat, and gas up to 6 nautical miles from the center, insurance, tank and weights. Visit the best spots in the Azores, in Formigas, and Dollabarat. Ideal for diving with stingrays and eagle rays? Go to Dori and Banco D.Jao De Castro! Snorkeling trips along the coast are also possible. Ask for the photos taken as a souvenir during your dives! The organization of barbecues on the beach and aperitifs in the marina contribute to the nice atmosphere of Espirito Azul. [+]
- Diving around Islands
- fast boat
- Between 30 and 40 dive sites
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Azores Sub
Azores
- Vila Franca do Campo

Azores Sub diving school is located on the south coast of the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, in the marina of Vila Franca do Campo. Azores Sub is open all year round, with daily boat trips at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. Azores Sub offers PADI courses suitable for beginners with the Discover scuba diver program, which includes snorkeling and a first dive to discover the rich underwater world of Sao Miguel Island. These dives prove to be a unique experience. For the more experienced divers, specialty courses are organized with dry suit diving, Drysuit Diver, or nitrox courses.
At Azores Sub Diving Center, the snorkeling and freediving courses are supervised by a certified instructor so that these experiences are unforgettable and done with maximum safety. Participate with Azores Sub Diving center in the sea trips to the most beautiful dive sites of the Azores, the Formigas and Dollabarat reefs. The passage of pelagics such as manta rays and sharks will enchant you if you are patient in the water. The underwater landscapes around Sao Miguel are shaped by volcanic lava with natural arches, passages, caves, and drop-offs. You'll even dive in hydrothermal hot springs!
Also, explore the wrecks dotting the areas where ships once anchored off Vila Franca do Campo. You will discover many anchors dating from the 16th century in the middle of schools of yellowmouth barracudas and yellowtail (Seriola rivoliana). In the crevices, find beautiful morays and huge groupers in the beam of your lamp. Diving and snorkeling are relaxing and invigorating activities that everyone can enjoy in the waters of the Azores due to a water temperature ranging from 16°C to 24ºC and visibility up to 30 meters. [+]
- fast boat
- PADI Training
- Boat rental
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Best Spot Azores Dive Center
Azores
- Ponta Delgada
  
Best Spot Azores Dive Centre is located in Ponta Delgada, on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores. Here you are in a 5 star PADI and AWARE dive center. Nevertheless, PADI training for beginners is in the spotlight with Discover Scuba Diver and Scuba Diver sea baptisms. Choose the 10-dive package with or without equipment rental, if you want to have time to observe pelagic animals. On Best Spot Azores Diving center boats, you have access to around 50 dive sites around Faial Island.
Some of the Best Spot Azores dive guides are biologists who give you an educational introduction to the marine life of the Azores. Experienced, they guide you in a calm, relaxed and safe manner. During your diving holiday in the Azores, go on long trips out to sea to observe the passage of rays, tuna, and kingfish in the blue. Take advantage of a diving holiday on Sao Miguel Island to go on snorkeling trips with family and friends, with insurance and equipment included.
Best Spot Azores guides explain how to use the equipment, fins, mask, and snorkel and give you technical tips to practice safely. The Best Spot Azores diving club organizes trips to the sea, either for a walk along the coast or for a beautiful encounter with the local fauna, in the middle of the Azores' underwater landscapes, in a zen atmosphere. [+]
- Welcome groups
- No equipment carrying
- Eco responsable
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Sea creatures
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