Diving in Portugal
Azores — mobula rays at Princess Alice, blue and mako sharks, Madeira and the Desertas
1 yacht for liveaboard diving
Portugal — mobula rays at Princess Alice Bank, blue and mako sharks off the Azores, Madeira and the Desertas. Dive trip schedules and prices.
Why divers come here
- Princess Alice Bank — schooling mobula rays over an open-ocean seamount
- Blue sharks and makos on baited dives off Faial and Pico
- Whale-watching capital of the Atlantic — sperm whales year-round, blue whales in spring
- Madeira — the Garajau reserve, volcanic walls and the caverns off Funchal
- The Desertas — a colony of Mediterranean monk seals
- The Berlengas near the mainland — granite arches and caves, visibility up to 30 m
What you'll meet underwater
Mobula rays, Mobula tarapacana (schools at Princess Alice, July–October)
Blue sharks (baited dives, July–October)
Shortfin mako sharks
Sperm whales (around the Azores year-round)
Atlantic spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins
Mediterranean monk seals (the Desertas)
Dusky groupers of the Garajau reserve
Ocean sunfish (mola mola) and schools of Atlantic horse mackerel
Photos: credits and licences
- Mobula rays, Mobula tarapacana (schools at Princess Alice, July–October) — Tiago Matias, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blue sharks (baited dives, July–October) — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shortfin mako sharks — Fábio Olmos, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sperm whales (around the Azores year-round) — Gabriel Barathieu, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Atlantic spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins — NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mediterranean monk seals (the Desertas) — Marinko Babić, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dusky groupers of the Garajau reserve — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ocean sunfish (mola mola) and schools of Atlantic horse mackerel — U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Practical information
- Best season
July–October (mobula rays, blue and mako sharks, warmest water)
- Water temperature
- 15–24 °C
- Visibility
- 15–40 m
- Wetsuit
- 5–7 mm with a hood; drysuit in winter
- Experience level
Advanced for Princess Alice and the shark dives (blue water, open ocean)
Open Water is enough for Madeira and the Berlengas
- Getting there
Fly to Lisbon (LIS), then connect on a domestic flight to Horta (HOR) or Ponta Delgada (PDL) in the Azores, or to Madeira (FNC).
Direct flights also run to Funchal and Ponta Delgada from several European hubs.
- Airports
Horta (HOR), Ponta Delgada (PDL), Funchal (FNC), Lisbon (LIS)
- Visa
Portugal is in the Schengen area.
EU/EEA citizens travel freely
visa-exempt nationalities may stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Everyone else needs a Schengen short-stay visa applied for in advance, with biometrics and proof of accommodation, insurance and funds.
- Climate
Maritime subtropical, 14–25°C year-round in the Azores, hot dry summers on the mainland
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Language
- Portuguese
- Time zone
- UTC+0 (mainland and Madeira), UTC-1 (Azores)
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