Gruta Azul

The Baixa da Maia (Maia Reef) is actually a small islet located less than 500 metres from the coast in front of the village of Maia. The area around it (150-metre radius) is classified as a marine reserve where fishing is forbidden.

Located on the slope of the Guia Hill, the Gruta dos Camarões (Shrimp Cave) is a deep dive performed in a long and narrow cave. It is only advisable for experienced divers certified in cave diving.

Around 15 minutes outside the marina of Vila do Porto in Santa Maria lays this marine reserve with very abundant flora and fauna. Moderate currents can occur. The entry of the site has a mooring buoy that goes 8m down to the main rock. Average diving depth between 15 and 25 meters.

Nice dive site close to the rocky shore. This is a boat dive. Depth varies from 10 to 18 meters. Prismatic rock formations with some sandy bottoms. Nice to follow the shoreline during the dive.

This dive takes place around the small Ilhéu da Vila (Vila Islet), located 200 metres from the southwest coast. Despite the proximity of Vilo do Porto marina, this site features fairly abundant marine life as it is part of the natural park of the island of Santa Maria.

Large underwater rock formation not too far from shore. Accessible as a boat dive only. Depth from 15meters to 25meters. Prismatic rock formations.

Located on the north coast of the island of Santa Maria, approximately one nautical mile northwest of Anjos, the Banco João Lopes (João Lopes Bank) consists of a 14 metre reef with a seafloor that drops to a depth of 40 metres. Far from the coast, it sometimes features moderate to strong current.

This location offers a wide variety of dive sites including the ’Olympia’ shipwreck located on the southwest side of the islets (between 30 and 50 metres deep), a small reef that is only 8 metres deep, many dives along the wall of the islets and also several reefs to the north.

This rocky area used to be an anchorage for boats visiting the Port of Vila Franca. It is characterized by having several scattered anchors from different periods, some of which are still intact.

Dive site located in the Vila Franca do Campo islet, where you can find a lot of swimming throughs, passages and a sandy path located around 21m. There can be a lot of swell and some current on this dive site.