Mantamaria DIVE Center Azores

Mantamaría is a company dedicated to diving and boat trips located on one of the islands with the most history and biodiversity of the islands that make up the Azores archipelago, the Santa Maria Island. Its objective is to offer those who want to visit the islands a unique opportunity to do so, showing you both its deep sea and its natural landscapes.

This company was born due to the great opportunities offered by the Island. It has marine and terrestrial species, an unbeatable climate and crystal clear waters that make this island a small paradise.

We offer various ways to get to know the Island, diving being the most popular and attractive. If diving is not your thing, you can appreciate the wonderful views of the island from a boat ride. You will be able to see a multitude of species, beaches and a protected nature reserve.

• Diving: This area located to the east of the Atlantic has a warm climate and transparent waters, especially in the summer months, which allows diving in unbeatable conditions. You will see different species such as whale sharks or manta rays, among many others. You can visit different basses such as Ambrosía, Joao Lopes or Penedia. Some of them located up to 50 meters deep, where you can even spot sunfish, a fact that will not leave you indifferent. You can both get started and professionalize through the SSI level 1 course.

• Boat trips: The need to show this little paradise has led MantaMaría to offer boat trips for up to 12 peoplewith which you can go around the Island of Santa María, visit its different beaches such as Novilhas beach or Vila do Beach, or the bays of Cura and Tagarete among many other areas on the island. You will visit caves, cliffs and land formed over centuries as a result of the erosion caused by its volcanic origin. You will be able to spot cetaceans and lose yourself in the middle of the Atlantic. Of course you can get off the ship and set foot on land at different points, getting to know its different landscapes up close, or even bathe in the seas and beaches that surround the island.

The jewel of this area of the Atlantic that you can visit both by boat and diving is the Formigas and Dollabarat Islets Nature Reserve, about 40 kilometers from Santamaría. In both cases you will see species and you will enjoy watching in one of the most impressive places in the Azores. Sharks, turtles, dolphins and other cetaceans coexist in a few kilometers, among hundreds of other speciesthat complete the marine reserve in the area.

Undoubtedly, Mantamaría offers unparalleled landscapes to the west of the Atlantic, its depths are full of life and its good weather and visibility make this place a destination that you cannot miss if you like the diving, or you simply want to get to know one of the wildest areas of Portuguese biodiversity from thesurface.

The Island of Santa María offers an incomparable underwater world, through diving you have the opportunity to get to know the submerged universe that is found at the foot of one of the islands with the most history of the Islands. Azores. This area has been designated by many divers as one of the most special destinations to discover the depths of the eastern Atlantic.

At MantaMaría Dive you can train in this discipline, enjoying punctual dives, doing baptism or graduating in SSI. This tourist enclave stands out for its dense marine fauna, its warm temperatures that range between 22 and 26 degrees in the summer season and its transparent waters that make it easier to sight species.

We will offer you all the necessary equipment for the dive, the only thing we will ask is that you follow the instructions of the instructor at all times.

• Modalities

Baptism of diving: For more than two hours you will learn to move through the aquatic environment, feeling that famous zero gravity, spotting species that live on the surface and diving up to ten meters deep.

SSI Course: This course will allow you to descend to depths of up to 20 meters. This four-day course consists of a theoretical and practical part and will allow you to further your skills in the water.

• Where we dive

To the West of the Island: Ilhéu da Vila, Baixa da Cagarra, Calçada do Gigante, Baixa de Fora, Cabeço João Lopes, Ambrósio.

To the East of the Island: Pedrinha, Baixa da Cré, Baixa da Maia, Gruta dos camarões, Pedrinha da Maia, Pinheiro, Gruta Azul, Cabeço Badejo.

There are dozens of places that surround the island that make each dive different from the previous one. Go down the 40-meter-long vertical walls in the Bajo de Joao Lopes or visit, if you are an expert diver, the depths of the Bajo de Ambrosia located 50 meters from the surface, will be activities that you will carry out during this experience.

The most popular destination for its beauty and richness is the Formigas and Dollabarat Islets Nature Reserve, located 20 miles from Santa María. It is a unique ecosystem where seamounts and crystal clear waters intertwine to give shelter to a multitude of species such as Bonitos, Mantas, Wahoos Groupers, Haddock, and sometimes sharks.

• Species that inhabit the area

These places are home to marine ecosystems full of different species. From cetaceans to starfish, passing through countless different species of fish. This zoneIt stands out above all for its large herds of Manta Rays. You will be able to see barracudas or lemon fish in the Bajo de Maia, say hello to the octopuses and moray eels that inhabit the Bajo de Penedo. With luck we will find imposing whale sharks as well as pods of dolphins that reside near the costs.

Diving in Santa María offers everything a diver can ask for during a dive. It is a special place that combines this practice with one of the best settings in the archipelago of theAzores.

The boat trips offer another point of view when it comes to discovering the landscapes of the Isla de Santa María, Portugal. From the sea, you will be able to appreciate the beauty of the different landscapes that make up this historic island.

Before embarking, you should know that it is a protected area, where even fishing is prohibited, so respecting the environment that lives in this area is essential to the time to venture around the island by boat.

We have up to five boats with capacity for between 8 and 12 people. These boats will be led by specialized guides who will take care of you and the ecosystem that will surround you. We teach a small theoretical lesson with the necessary instructions for this journey, since entering the sea implies knowing some previous recommendations.

During the boat trip over 50 kilometers and a 6-8 hour tripwe cover the entire diameter of the >Isla de Santa María. The trip will begin and end in Prainha, Vila do Porto. During the journey we border the Island visiting places such as Ponta da Malbusca, Rocha Alta, Ponta do Norte, Bahia from Cre or Anjos.

These places hide caves and grottoes that you can only access by sea. Along the way we see fossil remains typical of the Island. One of the most impressive tourist attractions are the slopes eroded over centuries by lava flows that came out of the depths of the sea. In fact, we may be sailing over the mouth of a volcano.

From the boat we not only observe high hills, beaches with crystal clear waters, bays, or cliffs, but we also see marine species that come to the surface .

This boat trip has everything you need if you want to enjoy a day of nature and adventure, in addition to introducing you to one of the most spectacular corners of the Azores Islands.