Where to dive in Santa Maria in the Azores?

However, if you don't know yet on which island to dive, I have written articles to help you choose the best island in the Azores depending on what you are looking for. 

When to dive in Santa Maria in the Azores?

Santa Maria in the Azores is the'southernmost island, it therefore benefits from a Mediterranean climate very pleasant. This is thesunniest island. It offers a warmer and drier climate than its neighbors. He is possible to dive all year round on the island. However the season the more auspicious for diving corresponds to the period between June and October. 

About the air temperature, it varies between 14 ° C and 26 ° C depending on the month and temperature some water it varies between 16 ° C and 20 ° C.

What is the price of a dive in Tanzania?

The cost of a dive in Tanzania varies depending on several factors:

• Le spot chosen for diving
• Le diving center selected
• La need or not to rent diving equipment

As a rule, dive centers located in the same village will have similar prices.

In Santa Maria in the Azores, count on average:

• An excursion in snorkeling: 30 € / 40 €
• Simple dive: 40 € / 60 €
• Double dive: between € 75 and € 100
• Equipment: 20 € / 30 €
• PADI certificate Open Water: around € 470 / € 550

It is a question of average, you will potentially find cheaper rates and sometimes more expensive. I advise you not to base yourself on price alone when choosing your dive center. Remember that there are other important criteria for choosing the right dive center.

How to choose your dive center in Santa Maria in the Azores?

The choice of a dive center should not not to be taken lightly because of that depends your safety and the experience that you will live in the water.

You will find several dive centers in Santa Maria so I recommend that you choose your club well.

When choosing your dive center, it is advisable to:

• Choose an approved diving center: think of a structure approved or labeled by a known federation (FFESSM, PADI, SSI, etc.)
• Ask about the dive center: you can, for example, go to the website, call the center or even read the opinions and comments left on the internet

What are the diving clubs in Santa Maria in the Azores?

You will find a few diving clubs in Santa Maria. These clubs are mainly located at the port in the village of About Us | which is the "capital" of Santa Maria.

Among the diving clubs, we find:

• Wahoo Diving
• Parallel 37
• haliotis
• Mantamaria Dive Center
• Dollarabarat Sub

Know that the rates for each of these dive clubs are roughly similar. 

However, some dive clubs will charge you more for the trip to see the mobula rays because there is more distance to reach the spot. Others will not charge you more, but the boat will only leave if there are enough people to go to the spot. 

So to conclude either you choose to pay a little more expensive so that there are few divers, or you want to pay less but in this case you agree to dive with more divers. 

The rules to follow while diving in Tanzania

To dive safely, it is mandatory to follow certain guidelines. These rules will benefit both you and the protection of the seabed:

• Respect and follow the instructions of your instructor
• Do not throw anything into the water: be it bottles, plastic, cigarette ends etc ...
• Do not touch anything in the water (both corals and fish)

What to see while diving in Santa Maria in the Azores?

The seabed in Santa Maria is relatively rich in the Atlantic Ocean.

We find in particular:

• Manta rays, mobile
• Reef sharks, whale sharks
• Whales
• dolphins
• Caves
• Nudibranchs

Where to dive in Santa Maria in the Azores?

There are several interesting diving spots around Santa Maria Island. 

 

Where to dive in Santa Maria in the Azores for beginners / all levels?

The following diving spots are accessible at all levels, whether in bottle or snorkeling. 

Diving spot	Interest	Depth	Ranking
Ambrose	Best spot in Santa Maria to observe mobula rays	10m-50m	5/5
little Rock	Most famous place / large schools of fish, caves, beautiful fauna	6m-40m	4/5
Baixa da Penidia	Coastal diving / octopus, moray eels, peacock wreaths etc / cave at 15m	3m-32m	4/5
Gruta Azul	Most interesting cave / stingrays, sponges, nudibranchs etc	15m-17m	4/5
Ilheu da vila	Small island, abundant fauna: amberjacks, barracudas, toothed carengues narwhal shrimps etc.	12m-18m	3/5
Ilheu das Lagoinhas	Girelles peacock, castagnoles, moray eels, triggerfish, groupers, jamanta etc	5m-22m	4/5

 

Where to dive in Santa Maria in the Azores for intermediate divers?

The following dive spots are accessible to slightly more experienced divers. Some spots are accessible to divers holding the Open water certificate and others are accessible at least to divers holding the Advanced Open Water certificate. 

Diving spot	Interest	Depth	Ranking	Minimum level
Baixa da Maia	Island located less than 500m from the coast / protected area / barracuda schools, pelagic	15m-24m	3/5	open water
Baixo dos Badejos	Island groupers, blackback swine, pelagics, barracudas etc.	16m-35m	3/5	Advanced
Bank Joao Lopes	Beautiful fauna: royal wreaths, saupes, groupers, jamantas etc.	20m-40m	4/5	Advanced
deep grotto	Cave / beautiful rock formations, long lava tunnel, beautiful wildlife	25m-40m	4/5	Advanced
Gruta dos Enchareus	Long gallery, amberjacks, blackback swine, stingrays, toothed carengues	15m-32m	3/5	Advanced

Diving on the island of Santa Maria is an excellent experience, obviously I recommend you to dive on the spot Ambrosia in order to see the mobula rays.