Lajeado Seamount

An offshore seamount rising to around 18 metres below the surface and sitting directly in the path of open Atlantic currents, Lajeado is the definitive pelagic site for the Flores and Corvo area. Blue sharks are the signature encounter — relaxed and inquisitive in the blue water above the summit — while Atlantic bluefin tuna hunt in tight packs through schooling amberjack and Atlantic horse mackerel. Manta rays and mobula rays make regular appearances from June through September, and lucky divers encounter hammerhead sharks during peak upwelling months. The seamount itself is carpeted in gorgonian fans and black coral on its deeper flanks, providing habitat for scorpionfish, moray eels, and large dusky grouper that have never been subject to fishing pressure.