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Azores

Gruta Funda (Santa Maria)

  • Max depth40 m
  • CertificationCavern
  • Water temperature≈ 14–22 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
  • SpecialExperienced divers
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Directions

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The dive

You start with a long lava tunnel on top of the reef. At its end the reef drops gradually to the entrance of a cathedral-shaped cave.

Entrance at 33 m, inside to 40 m, with moderate current: per the tourism board for more experienced divers. Plan depth, gas and decompression accordingly.
Source: Visit Azores (official dive site) – Gruta Funda ↗
Profile and sections

You start with a long lava tunnel on top of the reef. At its end the reef drops gradually to the entrance of a cathedral-shaped cave. Inside, large common stingrays lie still on the sand, colourful narwal shrimp sit in the recesses of the walls and with luck schools of large white trevally swim around the cathedral.

Per the tourism board the large cave between 30 and 40 m is the main attraction, and the rock formations here are exceptional.

Practical: the tourism board recommends the dive for more experienced divers.

Source: Visit Azores (official dive site) – Gruta Funda ↗
Depth and profile
Max 40 m, average 25 m. A lava tunnel starts at 15 m on top of the reef; then the reef drops to the entrance of a cathedral-shaped cave at 33 m, inside to 40 m.
Configuration
Large cave at depth: all configurations, within your gas and decompression plan (estimate).
DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
One large cave at depth — not a scooter dive.
Who can dive where
  • CaveAt least Cavern
  • Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
  • Whole caveGoes down to 40 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
  • Whole caveExperienced divers only · doesn't decide who may dive
Experienced diversThrough a dive centre or guide

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.

Source: Visit Azores (official dive site) – Gruta Funda ↗

How to get there

Boat dive, 25 minutes from Vila do Porto marina, about 10 miles out. We could not confirm a dive centre that dives here: ask the centres in Vila do Porto.

Plan your route ↗

Around Gruta Funda (Santa Maria)

FillsNo fill station known nearby
Other sites1

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Sources, sharing and disclaimer

Sources

Source: Visit Azores (official dive site) – Gruta Funda ↗

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Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training. Compiled from web research (Nov 2026): the Azores tourism board's official dive pages (Visit Azores: the dive spots, the islands, when to dive and the hyperbaric chambers), the websites of Dive Azores (Horta, with its own map of the dive sites), Scubazores Divers (Terceira) and Haliotis Santa Maria, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap and the Jornal Oficial dos Açores. Pins from Dive Azores' map (Faial) and Wikipedia (Cinco Ribeiras); the Santa Maria caves have no pin. These are sea caves and lava galleries, dived by boat or from the shore with a local dive centre; certification and configurations are estimates. Rules change — check locally.