5 sea caves · down to 40 m · 5 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in the Azores
- Sea caves5
- Max depth40 m
- Water temperature14–22 °C
- Dive centres3
Diving and fills
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Why come here
On the Azores, volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, you dive sea caves and lava galleries with local dive centres. The tourism board calls the Gruta dos Camarões on Monte da Guia off Horta one of the best cave dives in the Azores; per the board that cave and the Furnas next to it are only for experienced divers certified in cave diving. On Terceira you swim from the Cinco Ribeiras tide pool into a complex of galleries, and off Santa Maria lie the corridors of the Gruta Azul and the deep cathedral of the Gruta Funda. The water averages 14–22 °C, the best dive season runs from June to September, and between the islands you travel by boat or plane.
Don't miss
- Gruta dos Camarões (Monte da Guia, Faial): a high, narrow corridor of ~25 m to a big cavern with an air pocket, conger eels and clouds of narwal shrimp.
- Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras (Terceira): a shore dive from the tide pool into galleries full of narwal shrimp, with an exit on the other side.
- Gruta Azul (Santa Maria): about 150 m of stone corridors with three exits and fine light effects, shallow enough for a long dive.
On a rest day
- Capelinhos Volcano (Faial): The landscape of the last major eruption in the Azores (1957–58) at the western tip of Faial, with an interpretation centre about the eruption.
- Algar do Carvão (Terceira): A dormant volcano in the middle of Terceira where you descend about 100 m into an underground cavern, with a clear lake and stalactites.
- Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira): Terceira's colourful capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, full of monuments and historic buildings.
- Baía de São Lourenço (Santa Maria): A bay in the north-east of Santa Maria with clear water, surrounded by steep slopes with vineyards between stone walls.
All 5 sea caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnas do Monte da Guia (Faial)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Intro to cave | 40 m | Backmount | Intro to cave |
| Gruta Azul (Santa Maria)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 18 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras (Terceira)Backmount · Cavern | 20 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Gruta dos Camarões (Monte da Guia, Faial)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Intro to cave | 40 m | Backmount | Intro to cave |
| Gruta Funda (Santa Maria)Backmount · Cavern | 40 m | Backmount | Cavern |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
3 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Dive Azores (Horta)
Marina da Horta, Cais de Santa Cruz, Shop A-2, 9900-026 Horta
Training: PADI, SSI
Guided dives: Gruta dos Camarões (Monte da Guia, Faial), Furnas do Monte da Guia (Faial)
Rental: MARES gear: BCDs, regulators, 7 mm wetsuits, 12 and 15 l steel cylinders (DIN and yoke), dive computers, torches and SMBs
Small dive centre in Horta marina, with two RIBs. Its own site describes the Gruta dos Camarões (overhead, cave penetration at 25–30 m) and the Furnas with their two volcanic caverns, both in the Monte da Guia marine reserve. Teaches PADI and SSI courses; fills its own cylinders with a Bauer compressor. Walk-in fills and nitrox for visitors: ask.
Scubazores Divers (Angra do Heroísmo)
Estrada Regional n.º 1 (Hotel do Caracol), Silveira, 9700-193 Angra do Heroísmo
Air and nitrox
Contact page: 9:00–12:00 and 13:30–17:00 (ask)
Training: SSI
Guided dives: Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras (Terceira)
Rental: Diving and snorkelling gear on request
SSI dive centre at the Hotel do Caracol in Silveira, with a kiosk in Angra do Heroísmo marina. Its own site describes the Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras as a shore dive, with the cave complex for more experienced divers. Fills air and nitrox.
Haliotis Santa Maria (Vila do Porto)
Hotel Colombo, Rua Cruz Teixeira, 9580-473 Vila do Porto
Training: PADI
Guided dives: Gruta Azul (Santa Maria)
Rental: About 50 Aqualung equipment sets
PADI dive centre in the Hotel Colombo in Vila do Porto, with two RIBs and its own compressor. Lists the Gruta Azul among the sites it dives. Per Haliotis the dive season on Santa Maria runs only from June to October. Walk-in fills and nitrox for visitors: ask.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Horta and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112. Hyperbaric chambers per the tourism board: Horta hospital on Faial (+351 292 201 000), also for Terceira (70 nautical miles, by sea or air), and the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo in Ponta Delgada on São Miguel (+351 296 203 000), also for Santa Maria (57 nautical miles). Have your dive centre check that the chamber works. DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
Access and rules
- Protected nature: Monte da Guia off Horta has been a marine reserve since 1983, the first in the Azores, where fishing and spearfishing are banned (Dive Azores). The coast of Cinco Ribeiras is a protected marine resource management area (TER18) of the Terceira Nature Park, now part of the RAMPA network of marine protected areas. Take nothing and touch nothing.
Gas and fills
- Gas: air and nitrox at Scubazores Divers on Terceira; Dive Azores and Haliotis fill with their own compressors for their dives. We found trimix, oxygen and sorb confirmed nowhere: arrange your gas in advance.
Water and season
- Water and season: on average 14–22 °C per Haliotis, 16–22 °C with peaks of 24–25 °C per the tourism board; from June to October a 5–7 mm wet or semi-dry suit, from November to May 7–10 mm or a drysuit. The best dive season runs from June to September, with often more than 30 m of visibility from August into October; 10–15 m in spring. On Santa Maria diving only runs from June to October, per Haliotis.
Getting around
- Travel: the Azores are two hours' flight from Lisbon and Porto; between the islands you travel by boat (Atlânticoline) or on a regional flight (Azores Airlines). Faial, Terceira and Santa Maria lie far apart: each island needs its own base, Horta, Angra do Heroísmo or Vila do Porto.
Good to know
- Read this first: on the Azores you dive sea caves and lava galleries in the ocean, with a local dive centre. Per the tourism board the Gruta dos Camarões and the Furnas do Monte da Guia on Faial are only for experienced divers certified in cave diving; the cave complex of Cinco Ribeiras on Terceira is for more experienced divers.
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