Diving and snorkelling on Pico: the Madalena channel reefs, the Cachorro arches and blue sharks

Pico's diving splits three ways. On the north and south coasts there are lava arches and walls you can reach from the shore, several of them shallow enough for a first dive or a snorkel. Out in the channel towards Faial, three reefs are a ten- or twenty-minute boat ride from Madalena, but they are rated for experienced divers only. From July to mid-October boats from Madalena also go out to look for blue sharks. Which part suits you depends on your certification and on how much current you are happy to dive in.

The site figures below come from the official Azores dive portal run by Visit Azores. The operator details and prices are from 2026. Check both before you book, because centres change their trips from season to season.

The easy diving on Pico is off the coast, entered from a bathing area or a small harbour. The portal lists the currents at all four of these sites as weak.

• Cachorro, on the north coast between Madalena and São Roque, about five minutes by car from Madalena. The lava here has eroded into a tangle of arches and tunnels down to 18 m, with octopus, black morays and slipper lobsters in the cracks. It is rated for all divers and is a common choice for try dives, night dives and snorkelling.
• Arcadas de São Roque, about 25 minutes by car from Madalena. You start in tide pools 3 m deep in São Roque, follow a wall down to 12 m and reach an arch that rises almost to the surface, covered in yellow anemones. A second arch lies about 50 m west. The maximum depth is 25 m.
• Furnas de Santo António, entered from the lava pools at Santo António near São Roque. It starts at 3 m and stays shallow, with a maximum of 17 m. The highlight is an arch about 8 m wide whose roof has a hole that lets daylight in. You can swim back the way you came or carry on west to a small bay and walk back.
• Corais de São Caetano, on the south coast, entered from the fishing harbour at São Caetano, about 30 minutes by car from Madalena. You start at 3 m on sand and pebbles, and at about 15 m a wall drops to 60 m, covered in black coral. Snorkellers and beginners keep to the shallow start, while technical divers go down the wall.

If you only snorkel, Cachorro and the Santo António pools are the obvious places. The Santo António pools (Zona de Banhos da Furna) and Madalena's bathing area at Areia Larga both have lifeguards in season. Pick a calm day.

Two arch sites lie a 15-minute boat ride from Madalena harbour and suit divers who want more than a shore dive without the current of the channel:

• Arcos da Formosinha, 150 m off the coast north-east of Madalena. The reef top is at 8 m and the dive goes to 18 m past three arches, with stingrays and white trevally at the deeper end. It is rated for all divers.
• Arcos do Pocinho, off the Pocinho bathing area, facing Faial. You drop onto a lava flow at 9 m that runs down to 23 m and ends at two joined arches. The portal lists it for Open Water divers.

Between Pico and Faial, three reefs rise from deep water near the two islets off Madalena, Ilhéu em Pé and Ilhéu Deitado. The islets are part of a protected Special Area of Conservation. All three reefs need Advanced Open Water, and currents are listed as moderate to strong.

• Baixa do Norte, about one nautical mile north of the islets and ten minutes by boat. The top is a platform about 150 m long at 17 m, and the dive goes to 45 m. Schools of blue jack mackerel bring in almaco jacks, barracudas and bonito, and you may see black coral at around 35 m.
• Baixa do Sul, about three miles from the islets, also ten minutes by boat. This is the longest and shallowest of the three, starting at 6 m and stepping down in platforms to 50 m. It has round erosion holes up to 8 m deep and 3 m across, which the portal calls giant's holes.
• Baixa da Barca, two nautical miles north of the islets and 20 minutes by boat. The top is at 20 m, the average dive depth is 30 m and the maximum 55 m, and the portal also lists it for technical diving. Devil rays and ocean sunfish come for the mackerel shoals here.

The reefs are where the big pelagic fish are, but they are not a place to log your first deep dive. If you hold Open Water only, the arches are your dives.

The Azores are one of the few places where you can dive with blue sharks. According to the official portal, it started at the Condor seamount, about ten miles from Faial and an easy trip from Pico. CW Azores, a dive and whale-watching centre in the Madalena marina across from the ferry terminal, runs shark trips on these terms (read on its site in October 2026):

• Season from the beginning of July to mid-October.
• Advanced Open Water or equivalent, at least 50 logged dives, aged 18 or over, and a check dive with the centre first.
• A trip lasts up to five or six hours, with one tank per diver and a dive of up to 75 minutes. The centre looks for blue sharks and shortfin makos and gives its success rate as over 90%.
• €200 for one trip or €510 for three, including tanks, weights and guide.

The portal lists boat trips to Princess Alice Bank, the seamount known for its devil rays, from Madalena as well as from Horta. The crossing takes about three hours.

The portal recommends June to September for diving, with the clearest water from August into September and early October, when visibility often passes 30 m. In spring the water is greener and visibility drops to 10 to 15 m. The sea averages 16 to 22 °C and peaks at 24 to 25 °C.

For suits, the portal suggests a 5 mm or 7 mm wetsuit or semi-dry from June to October, and 7 mm or 10 mm, or a drysuit, from November to May.

The portal's directory lists three centres on Pico: CW Azores and Pico Sport in Madalena, and Brizacores in Lajes do Pico. Directory entries can be out of date, so contact the centre before you plan around it.

The decompression chamber for the central islands is at Horta Hospital on Faial, 4.5 nautical miles from Pico, and the evacuation goes by sea. The emergency number is 112. As anywhere, leave a day without diving before you fly.

Can a beginner dive on Pico? Yes. Cachorro, Furnas de Santo António and Arcadas de São Roque are all rated for all divers, with weak currents, and are used for try dives.

Can I snorkel without a boat? Yes. Cachorro and the lava pools at Santo António are reachable from the road. Go on a calm day.

What do I need for blue shark diving? CW Azores asks for Advanced Open Water, at least 50 logged dives and a check dive, and you must be 18 or over. In 2026 a trip cost €200.

Where is the nearest decompression chamber? At Horta Hospital on Faial, 4.5 nautical miles away by sea.