Sunday 19 June 2016

Arcos da Caloura & Ponta da Galera

The 1st dive spot was in Ponta da Galera, which has several tunnels and arches. At 12 meters of depth is situated the first tunnel, which has three wide entrances. The reef flank drops vertically to depths greater than 30 meters, where it is common to see big schools of pelagic fish.   

The 2nd dive spot was in Arcos da Caloura (20 meters of maximum depth). At 16 meters you can find one of the four entrances to an impressive cave - the main attraction of this spot. Inside the cave, it is common to see schools of guelly jacks. If you look carefully to the ceiling of the cave you might see different species of nudibranchs. Around the arches, it is possible to see several marine species that live in there such as, moray eels, emerald, ornate and Mediterranean rainbow wrasses and wide-eyed flounders.

Saturday 18 June 2016

Double Dive with Kelsey, Joerg, Paulo, Henrique and Natália

The summer months are coming and the water temperatures are rising (17/19ºC) which makes the dives more confortable and fun.

The first dive was in Viteleiro (24 meters max.), a rocky dive site with a beautiful arch, lava flows and a great diversity of fish species to observe.  The second dive was in Dori (20 max.), an old World War II cargo ship with 130 metres of length, that sank near the beach of São Roque in 1964. This artificial reef is a beautiful archaeological site, full of marine life to observe.

Join us in our next dives!!

Friday 17 June 2016

Scuba Refresher Course + Dive & Snorkeling in Baixa do Ouro

Scuba Refresher Course
Although you might be a certified diver you should do a Scuba Refresher Course if you haven't dived in the last six months. That's was what Kelsey did! She came to our diving center to do her Refresher Course in order to update her scuba skills, knowledge and confidence underwater. 
The instructor started the program with a small review of the equipment, hand signals and setting up the gear. 

Then we sailled to São Roque Islet, a shallow area with 12 meters of maximum depth. There, while you are diving, the instructor observes and helps with the different aspects of the dive, including the pre-dive safety checks, entry method and buoyancy control.

Snorkeling and Dive Trip
Snorkeling is the best way to discover the beautiful underwater life of the Azores, if you are not a certified diver. This time we went to Baixa do Ouro to do a dive and a snorkeling trip. This place has an isolated rock with vertical walls that range from 3 meters to 24 meters of depth. 

The top of this rock (3 meters) is perfect for snorkeling, where you will be able to see several wrasse species, such as the ornate wrasse and the rainbow wrasse, the atlantic and the blue damselfish and white seabream. The dive begins on the top of the rock and we slowly descend on the south part of the wall, passing through cracks and tunnels. In this type of dive you will be able to see pelagic fish, morey eels, wrasses, stingrays, among other fascinating species. 


Thursday 16 June 2016

Trying Scuba Dive for the First Time - Thomas & Steve

In this afternoon, Steve and Thomas wanted to see the diversity of fishes that can be found in the Azores and also how it feels to breathe underwater!

Our Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) program starts with a small explanation about the scuba gear and some basic techniques needed to dive safely. The 1st section of the DSD program is conducted in a swimming pool of a beautiful country house, called Pico do Refúgio. After some swims with the dive gear around the pool, the students felt comfortable underwater and were ready for the 2nd section of this program, the sea dive.

Book now your Discover Scuba Diving Course and have an amazing day with us!


Wednesday 15 June 2016

World War II Shipwreck - Dori

Today we dived with Frank, Jan, Jeff, André and Henrique!

The Dori shipwreck is the most requested dive site by divers who visit the island of São Miguel. With 20 meters of maximum depth, this World War II cargo ship provides shelter for several marine species. It is also a beautiful archaeological site, where you can see the well preserved remains of the ship. 

Join us in our next dives!!


Tuesday 14 June 2016

Dori Shipwreck with Linda, Arthur, Isabelle and Ludovic

Today's dive was in the Dori Shipwreck with Linda, Arthur, Isabelle and Ludovic!
The water temperatures are rising (17/18ºC) which makes the dive more fun. On this dive, we not only saw the beautiful and colourful marine life of Azores such as blue damselfish, several wrasse species, parrot fish, white seabream and wide-eyed flounder. But we also visited the artificial reef of a World War II cargo ship which is a beautiful archaeological site to observe.

Join us in our next dives!!

Sunday 12 June 2016

Surprise!! Underwater Wedding proposal

Our day started with an amazing surprise :) One of our Open Water Diver students had a marriage proposal during one of her OWD sea classes. 
Congratulations on your engagement. We wish you a life full of happiness & love :)

Friday 10 June 2016

Full Dive Day - Double Dive and DSD

What an amazing day with a double dive in the morning and a Discover Scuba Dive Program (DSD) in the afternoon.

If you are a certified diver and you are staying in São Miguel island for your holidays, you can't leave the island without diving in the famous Dori shipwreck. An old World War II cargo ship with 130 meters of length full of marine life to observe. In the rocky site of Ponta do Cavaco there is a beautiful and majestic arch with colorful wrasse species,blue damselfish, white seabream among other interesting creatures.

For the DSD sea section we went to Capelas (on the North coast) and we start the dive by the coast. It is a rocky site with an easy entrance for the water that gradually becomes deeper. In this DSD we saw a big school of sardines, white seabream, several wrasse and blennies species.

Book now your dives with Season Challenge!

Sunday 5 June 2016

FUN Azores 2015 Skaphandrus contest

Today we dived with John Sexton, one of the winners of the Skaphandrus contest entitled  FUN Azores 2015. His stunning photo entitled " Sharky Cruising" was the “Photo most voted by the public” and he won a dive trip to the Azores Islands with a Dive Pack of 6 dives offered by Season Challenge!
His image and all the other winning photos can be viewed through this link: Fun Azores 2015