Azores
Gruta Azul (Santa Maria)
- Max depth18 m
- CertificationCavern
- Water temperature≈ 14–22 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
Dive here with
The dive
Through about 150 m of stone corridors with three exits you make different loops, with fine light effects.
Profile and sections
Through about 150 m of stone corridors with three exits you make different loops, with fine light effects. Large common stingrays lie on the sand and in the narrow corridors, and the walls are covered in colourful sponges and small nudibranchs. In a calm sea you swim out into open water at the tip of the bay and come back on the outside.
The tourism board calls this one of the most interesting cave dives of Santa Maria; Haliotis counts it among its favourites.
Practical: the shallow depth allows long dives. Haliotis takes Open Water divers; the tourism board names Advanced Open Water.
- Depth and profile
- Max 18 m (Haliotis; the tourism board and Haliotis's text 17 m), average 13–15 m. About 150 m of stone corridors with three exits, right through a point of the island.
- Configuration
- Shallow corridors, partly narrow: all configurations with a light (estimate).
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Short corridors with three exits — not a scooter dive.
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 18 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Boat dive, 40 minutes (~11 nautical miles) from Vila do Porto marina, in a small sheltered bay on the east coast near the Baía de São Lourenço. Haliotis Santa Maria dives here.
Around Gruta Azul (Santa Maria)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
Other sites1
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