João de Castro Bank
Dive site
João de Castro Bank is a hydrothermally active seamount between São Miguel and Terceira with a shallow summit that crests at just 14 m below the surface — close enough that a flag of warm, mineral-rich water is visible on the surface on calm days. The bank hosts some of the Azores' densest populations of Atlantic amberjack and almaco jack, and blue sharks circle the summit perimeter in numbers that rival the famous pelagic seamounts. Endemic Azorean chromis and rainbow wrasse crowd every rock face, while false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins hunt the margins. The hydrothermal fields at 30 to 45 m add a geological dimension unique among Azorean dive sites.
Conditions
Depth
14 to 55 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 35 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
16 to 25°C
5mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | calm | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Field journal
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