Princess Alice Bank
Azores — Faial and Pico · Portugal
Princess Alice Bank is a submerged seamount rising from 2000 metres to within 35 metres of the surface, 60 kilometres south of Faial — one of the most productive big-animal dives in the entire Atlantic. From June through October, mobula rays aggregate in the hundreds above the seamount crown, joined by blue sharks, shortfin mako, oceanic whitetips and the occasional thresher. There is no reef structure here, only open ocean biology at its most elemental.
Conditions
Depth
35 to 50 m
Advanced depths
Current
Can be moderate
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 40 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
15 to 26°C
5mm wetsuit
Your chances of seeing each animal
Mobula rayCritically endangered
Rare
Now and then
Blue shark
Rare
Now and then
Shortfin mako shark
Rare
Now and then
Oceanic whitetip sharkCritically endangered
Rare
Now and then
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