Pelagic animals!
That was probably the only thing I remembered from the Christmas party where the new 2025 diving plan was revealed. And no, it wasn’t just because I’d had a couple more beers than I should have! The Azores trip sounded amazing! So, over the next couple of days, I got myself signed up… on the waiting list. No surprise there, it was the promise of an epic adventure and wonders.
Later, I moved from the waiting list to the actual list, and the promise didn’t disappoint. It turned out to be an incredible trip!
And then, in July, we started with a rather long journey from Stansted to Ponta Delgada, followed by a long wait before boarding a tiny plane to Santa Maria Island, our base for the week. The island is lush and green, with not many people but plenty of cows. Soul-stroker! Our accommodation was just as lovely, with amazing views and terraces perfect for chilling.
Day 1
Pedrinha
I always find the first dive after a break a bit tricky. My last trip was Cyprus in April, so about three months ago. I even went to the pool the week before this trip, just to refresh my muscle memory. But let’s be honest, a pool is not the ocean!
This time I was diving with a completely new buddy every day, which meant figuring out the usual: do they stop for nudibranchs or just zip around, what’s their air consumption like, how on earth would I cut them out of this twin set if I had to, what hand signals do they use, what signals do I use??… and so on.
The plan for this dive sounded simple enough: drop in, find the pinnacle, head down to about 25–30m, then slowly work our way up with the pinnacle on the right shoulder. Oh, and there’s a hole at 17m that drops to about 25m, a “lovely swim-through,” they said. Challenge accepted. Except… I spent half the dive searching for that hole like a maniac. My air consumption was through the roof. Every few minutes: “Nope, too deep. Nope, too shallow.” I was so fixated on finding it that it took me 20 minutes to realise, “Hang on… this is meant to be a relaxing holiday!” Right then and there, I decided: screw the hole.
And of course, the moment I let it go, there it was. We swam it backwards, from 25m up to 17m. Was it the hole? Maybe. Who cares? The real win was switching our brains to holiday mode.
Caverna dos Camarões
The name says it all: Shrimp Cave. At first it was just your standard big cave. Then, right at the back, the walls were covered in shrimps. Little orange guys moving around in perfect unison. It was hilarious! I think I actually laughed into my reg. Once I saw them, I started noticing shrimps tucked into little cracks everywhere. It was a really lovely, unexpectedly funny dive.
Day 2
Formigas Adventure
Day two was our only chance to visit the famous Formigas, a rocky peninsula about 22 miles away, roughly two hours on a rib. We set off and quickly realised how lucky we were: the ocean was as flat as a five-hour-old lager. We skimmed across the surface with the horizon stretching endlessly around us.
We passed through patches of rain and patches of sunshine, the light breaking through the clouds like something out of a painting. Santa Maria faded into the distance… but the dolphins didn’t. Schools of them joined us, leaping and playing in the waves created by our boat. Every so often a flying fish would burst from the water and glide alongside us for what felt like forever.
All the while, we kept scanning the horizon for a whale. The Azores has a resident population of sperm whales year-round, and in July it can also host blue whales and whale sharks. Someone had even spotted a whale shark just 10 miles from Santa Maria the week before. So, naturally, our hopes were sky-high.
Time passed quickly and suddenly the Formigas lighthouse was in sight, sticking up like a chess piece. Our first dive site was Baixa dos Meros, a pinnacle abundant in life. We descended along the line and began circling it. The stars of the show were the incredibly friendly groupers. Our skipper reckons the first diver here must have fed them, because they were downright sociable. One even let Gillian stroke its big, fat lip!
Our second dive was at Formigas Wall, where we hoped to spot mobulas… or maybe even that elusive whale shark. It was meant to be a drift dive from east to west, but the currents had other ideas. First we drifted nowhere, then we swam against a current that seemed to hold us in place, it was somewhat strange. We still spotted plenty. Scorpionfish, nudis, lobsters, the usual suspects.
Just before the end, I saw movement in the blue, a mobula ray! I tried to get Gillian’s attention, but it vanished before she turned. We started our safety stop, and just as Gillian signalled ‘to the surface’, it returned, gliding straight towards us. We hung there in awe until we had to get out. The mobula then hung around the rib for another 10–15 minutes, and some of the group “snorkelled” with it. Minus actual snorkels, of course. A bit of a breath-holding workout!
Eventually it disappeared into the blue, and we began the two-hour ride back to Santa Maria, catching a few more dolphins along the way.
Day 3
Ambrósio
Day three was the big one! We finally headed to Ambrósio! Imagine two 40m shot lines dropped in the middle of the ocean with nothing but endless blue around you. The site is famous, and for good reason: for whatever magic happens here, ocean life just loves it. Our hopes were high… whale shark, maybe?
As soon as we arrived, multiple mobulas were already swirling around the rib. Chaos: “Hurry up, hurry up, get in the water!” We kitted up like maniacs. Three… two… one… go! Splash! Blue everywhere, bubbles everywhere… and then — mobula! Another mobula! Another! OMG!
We (well, me) pulled ourselves together, swam to the shot line, and grabbed on just in case the current picked up (losing a diver here would be… not ideal). Luckily, the current was gentle.
This dive was pure magic. Visibility was fantastic, and schools upon schools of mobulas glided in from the blue, moving like birds in slow motion. They circled us gracefully, some curious enough to come close, even eye to eye. They’d look at us as if thinking, “What are these strange bubbly things?” before shaking their heads (I swear they do that!) and drifting off again. On top of that, we had huge schools of amberjacks and plenty of other fish, big and small. Just a stunning, endless blue.
Baixa da Cagarra
By now, we had a rhythm: one “life” dive and one “scenic” dive per day. This scenic dive is in my top two (the other contender comes on Day 5). Baixa da Cagarra is incredible. The rock formations look like Iceland’s volcanic landscapes, with rectangular columns stacked together into an entire wall. Actually, not just a wall, a whole pinnacle rising up in geometric patterns. Marvellous. It felt like dropping into another world.
Day 4
Caverna Leandro
I think Day 4 was the weakest for me. First dive left me rather unexcited and we even surfaced with 100 bars. The cave itself was nice and quite big, but also somehow… small? At least that was my impression. Others absolutely loved it, so don’t take my word for it! Outside the cave there wasn’t much going on, though the narrow swim-through was pretty fun. I was especially amused watching Matt with his twins navigating through, haha. The path was very short though, maybe we missed a turn? That’s the risk of diving without a guide: you might miss a hole or two. But on the flip side, it makes the dive more of an adventure!
Baixa da Maia
The second dive was really nice. I think if we hadn’t had Ambrosio to compare it to, I’d have enjoyed it even more. Gorgeous scenery, plenty of life, and I spotted a massive nudi! Actually, there were nudis everywhere, so of course we had fun joking about who didn’t manage to find any this time. Excuse the photo quality, action cameras aren’t made for this. Quiz time: can you find the nudi?
Day 5
We finished the week with an amazing day of diving! I think these were my two favorite sites. Not surprisingly, the first one was Ambrósio. Yes, we went back! This dive was different from the first time: visibility was slightly worse and there were fewer mobulas, but somehow the encounters felt closer and more intimate.
The star of the show was Nick H., who was literally dancing with them! Spiraling with arms outstretched, flying alongside these graceful beings in a moment we all envied. Such joy to watch! Gillian nearly got slapped by a curious one on its fly-by, and I swear they were so playful and friendly it made you question everything… your office job, your whole life… at least I certainly did.
Ilhéu Mar da Barca
The second dive was a spontaneous decision. Stefan proposed two sites and we chose one new for them as well. And oh my, he didn’t lie when he said it had everything: stunning scenery, life everywhere, and a sense of true exploration. Swim-throughs, little caves, windows, fish, morays, a stingray, crabs, life at every corner! But the best part? The swell. It rocked us gently, swinging us back and forth like a hammock in the water. I love that feeling, the sea itself moving you, the fish moving with you, all of us carried together in an Earth flow.
After this dive I was so satisfied I actually declined the very last dive, a night dive at Pedrinha. The circle had closed. It was late because darkness didn’t fall until around 10pm. Five brave adventurers went with Nick monitoring from the boat. They came back buzzing, debating whether the bioluminescence was blue or green. Who knows, maybe both?
The next day we explored the island, ate fresh fish, and rested. It was truly a beautiful week, with wonderful divers, incredible creatures, and unforgettable landscapes. If you ever have the chance to go, go. A huge thanks to Gabriel for such a great trip!
As for me, swimming with mobulas gave me the final push I needed to follow my dreams. In September I’m leaving London to travel the world, to dive the oceans, to live fully. It might be for a year, it might be longer or shorter. I might come back, I might not. I don’t really know.
What I do know is this: Dear Clidivers, it has been an honour to dive, train, and explore with you. I hope to dive with you again, maybe even in our murky UK waters!
Until then, take care.
We are an LGBTQIA+ friendly club 
