Faial-Pico Channel — Common Dolphin Run
Dive site
The seven-kilometre channel between Faial and Pico is one of the most reliably cetacean-rich corridors in the North Atlantic. Common dolphins gather here in superpods — groups of 200 to 500 animals — that bow-ride, breach and spiral through the water column in formations that make wide-angle photography genuinely overwhelming. Bottlenose dolphins are resident and approach boats throughout the year. The channel is shallow enough (30 to 50 metres over volcanic rubble) for scuba dives on slack tides, but the real draw is snorkelling with the dolphin superpods in calm summer conditions. Risso's dolphins appear in autumn, and striped dolphins pass through in July. Sperm whales use the deep southern approach to the channel for feeding and are regularly encountered on the same trips.
Conditions
Depth
12 to 50 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 30 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
15 to 24°C
5mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 16 |
| Vis (m) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 |
| Current | Strong | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | calm | calm | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Strong |
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