Portugal, Azores

Azores Raw Atlantic 🇵🇹

Travel details

Available spaces

Fully Booked

Trip duration

14 nights

Travel dates

25 July, 2027 - 08 August, 2027

Price per person

3.695 € per person

Trip Highlights

Sensational Sharks 🦈 The waters around the island of Faial still attract blue sharks species in large numbers. During these dives, other shark species such as mako sharks and smooth hammerheads can sometimes be spotted! And that is not all. Around the end of summer the warmer waters around the Azorean island of Santa Maria attract the ocean's largest fish: whale sharks.

Dolphins & Whales 🐋 The Azores are a true hotspot for cetaceans, predominantly whales and dolphins. One of the most emblematic species around the island are sperm whales.Although diving with these giants is not allowed without permit, experiencing their presence from a small boat can be just as exhilarating. Jumping in with the giant pods of dolphins is allowed though!

Manta Madness 🪁 Flocking together in groups as big as 60 individuals, the sickle fin devil ray spends the summer around offshore seamounts in Azorean waters of Princess Alice. This rock formation does not only attract rays either, as large schools of other fish are often seen around the pinnacle. Schools of tuna, barracuda and amberjacks are often spotted sawrming the area.

Trip description

The Azores: A Diver’s Atlantic Paradise

The Azores offer some of the most extraordinary diving experiences in the Atlantic. Surrounded by deep ocean trenches and rich marine ecosystems, the islands are known for crystal-clear waters, dramatic volcanic landscapes, and a unique mix of subtropical and temperate marine life. Divers can explore lava arches, underwater cliffs, and vibrant reefs teeming with pelagic species.

From encounters with majestic mobulas and blue sharks to calm dives along protected coastal areas, the Azores deliver excitement for every level of diver. Warm currents, excellent visibility, and a strong commitment to marine conservation make the archipelago a top destination for anyone seeking unforgettable underwater adventures.

Combotrip Santa Maria - Faial

Nights

Price per person

3.695 €

DATE START

25 July 2027

DATE END

08 August 2027

Santa Maria — Charming Blue Hotel & Wahoo Diving

Charming Blue Hotel sits in Vila do Porto on Santa Maria, walking distance from the harbour where the dive boat leaves each morning. Small, well kept rooms, a solid breakfast spread, and a rooftop with a view over the island. Diving is with Wahoo Diving, a local operator that runs private charters out to Ambrosio, Formigas and Dollabarat. Small group, dedicated guides, and a skipper who reads the conditions to put you in the right water for the mobulas.

Faial — House Bay Guest House & Norberto Diver

House Bay Guest House (Casa da Baia) is an easy walk from Horta's marina and Peter Café Sport, the legendary stop for transatlantic sailors. Comfortable twin and double rooms, breakfast included, and the right base for the boat days. On the water you are with Norberto Diver, the most experienced operator in the Azores. Norberto knows where the blues, makos, hammerheads and mobulas show up, and his trips out to Princess Alice Bank are the reason most divers come to Faial in the first place.

Included

All necessary airport transfers on both islands
6 nights Santa Maria, Charming Blue Hotel, Double/Twin room with breakfast
8 nights Faial, House Bay Guest House, Twin- or double room with breakfast
Behind the Mask Travel Trip leader Filipe Casal Ribeiro
Rental car on Santa Maria for the group
1 full day trip to Princess Alice Bank (~ 8 – 12 hours on the sea, 2 dives plus snorkelling/freediving incl. weights & tanks)
2 x half day (3-4 hours) shark dive experience incl. guide, 1 tank, weights
1 x day Hammerhead excursion to north Faial (freediving/snorkeling only)
4 dive days a 2 dives per day including all fees for Ambrosio and Formigas dive sites
All days including private boat charter, skipper, dive guides, tanks, weights

Not Included

Flights to Horta (HOR) / Santa Maria (SMA) starting from 450 €
Connecting flight between the islands starting from 100 €
Food & drinks
Additional activities
Tips
Single room surcharge
Nitrox on Santa Maria (2,50 € per tank)
Equipment rental
Mount Pico Hike on our free day from Faial with guide and transport (optional)

Day-by-day program

– This is a sample itinerary, organisation might vary due to weather and other circumstances – Arrive on Santa Maria (SMA), the southernmost island of the Azores, from Lisbon or Ponta Delgada. Transfer to the Charming Blue Hotel, check in, settle into the rhythm of the island. The hotel sits within walking distance of the harbour and town. Welcome dinner with the group, briefing on the week ahead.

The first dive day at Santa Maria’s signature site. Ambrosio is a flat sandbank 8km offshore where mobula rays aggregate in summer, sometimes in schools of hundreds. Two dives, private charter, max 8 divers. Briefings on the boat, surface intervals on deck, lunch back at the harbour or on board depending on conditions.

Back to Ambrosio for a second go. Different time, different tide, often a different show. The mobulas are unpredictable, but the chance of being in the right water at the right moment goes up the more days you stack. Two dives, same drill.

A longer boat ride out to Formigas, the islets and Dollabarat seamount about 35km northeast of Santa Maria. Open Atlantic water, current, big animals. Two dives on the bank, with the chance of devil rays, whale sharks in season, and the usual schooling jacks and barracuda. Conditions dependent.

Fourth dive day, sites picked based on conditions and what the group has not seen yet. Could be another shot at Ambrosio, the local reefs around the island, or Formigas if the weather did not allow it earlier in the week.

A day off the boat. Walk down to São Lourenço Bay for the best beach on the island, drive the loop around the inland vineyards, or just stay around the hotel. The rental car is available for the group.

Morning transfer to the airport. Flight from Santa Maria via Ponta Delgada to Horta on Faial. Settle into House Bay Guest House (Casa da Baia), an easy walk from Horta’s harbour and the famous Peter Café Sport. Group dinner in town.

A day to get the lay of the land in Horta. Walk through the marina to see the painted murals left by visiting sailing crews, lunch at a local spot, briefing with Norberto on the week’s water activities and the conditions outlook.

Half day blue water trip with Norberto for the offshore shark encounter. Blue sharks and occasionally mako come in to the boat in calm conditions out past the channel. One tank dive, freediving and snorkelling options on the same drop. Back to harbour by mid afternoon.

The headline day. A long boat ride out to Princess Alice Bank, a remote seamount roughly 50 nautical miles southwest of Faial that holds resident schools of mobula rays. Eight to twelve hours on the water, two dives plus freediving and snorkelling sessions on the bank. Weights and tanks included, picnic lunch on board.

A full day out to the north of Faial for the hammerhead encounter, freediving and snorkel only. The hammerheads pass through these waters in summer, and the local skippers know where to wait. No guarantees, but when they show, it is something else.

A day off the water. Optional guided hike up Mount Pico, the highest peak in Portugal, on the neighbouring island. Tickets and a guide are needed, easy to organise locally. Otherwise a slow day in Horta, wine tasting at the local Verdelho vineyards on Pico, or just resting up.

Held back as the spare day for whatever activity got pushed by weather earlier in the week. If everything went well, the day is free for diving the local reefs, a marina afternoon, or one more sunset at Peter Café Sport.

TRIP LEADER

Your Trip Leader

Our most technical diver, has to be in the ocean every week and prefers animals over people. Very caring personality that only brings back satisfied guests. Huge plus: Portugese so knows how to get out of a tricky situation.

We are Behind the Mask Travel.

We offer individual tailor-made dive travel and organised group travel to the finest dive spots in the world.