Diving and snorkelling on São Jorge: dive sites from Velas and 2026 prices

Most of São Jorge's dive sites lie a few minutes by boat from the harbour at Velas, and the two that experienced divers come for, Baixa dos Rosais and Ilhéu do Topo, sit off the two ends of the island. Depth and current decide which site suits you. Below are the sites the regional diving guide lists for the island, grouped by distance from Velas, with what the dive centre in Velas charged in October 2026.

São Jorge Dive & Sail Center works from the commercial port of Velas. It started in 1998 as UrzelinaTur, a family company from Urzelina, and took its current name in 2017. It trains to SSI standards. It opens from 15 March to 31 October, every day from 9:00 to 17:00, and says day trips can be booked on the same day if there is space. In July and August it is safer to call a day ahead: +351 915 106 268, or sjzdiveandsail@gmail.com.

All its boat trips are double dives: two dives with a surface break between them.

Four sites lie within five minutes of the harbour, in front of the town and in the sheltered bay of Entre-Morros next to it.

• Gruta dos Corais is two minutes from the harbour and less than 100 metres from the shore. The top of the reef is 5 to 10 metres down, which makes it the usual site for a first dive, a night dive or snorkelling. The cave it is named after sits at 24 metres and is for experienced divers only: black coral grows around its wide entrance, and narwal shrimp cover the walls inside.
• Baixa de Entre-Morros, five minutes out in the bay between the two hills, starts at an islet at about 10 metres and runs down over boulders to sand at 21 metres. Look on the sand for flounders, lizardfish and the odd round stingray.
• Mouro de Lemos faces it across the same bay. A cave at 17 metres is the main sight. Past the cave, the wall leaves the shelter of the bay and drops to 30 metres. There is more current out there, and that is where Almaco jacks and barracudas turn up.
• Baixio da Ponta da Queimada is a reef about 250 metres off the village of Queimada, three minutes by boat. Its top lies between 10 and 24 metres, with lava corridors full of moray eels, and on one side it falls to 70 metres. The regional guide lists it for Advanced Open Water divers, and the deep side is technical diving.

Portinhos da Urzelina is the one site in the regional list you can walk into. You enter from the tide pools at Urzelina, about 15 minutes' drive from Velas, and the dive stays between 8 and 14 metres in sheltered water. Swim west from the pools and you reach a cavern at 8 metres with an opening in its roof. Light falls through it onto colonies of yellow cluster anemones.

Ilhéu da Urzelina, less than 150 metres off the Urzelina quay, is just as shallow, from the surface down to 14 metres. A cave in its south wall holds dusky groupers and moray eels, and a few hundred metres west there are two rock arches about 10 metres wide. Both Urzelina sites are listed for all levels and for snorkelling. The dive centre also reaches them by boat in about 20 minutes.

Pesqueiro-Alto lies on the same stretch of coast, between Terreiro and Urzelina, 20 minutes by boat. It averages 17 metres and has several large caves where dusky groupers live. The deepest part, at 35 metres, is for experienced divers.

Baixa dos Rosais is a reef about 3 miles off the western tip and 10 miles from Velas. Divers stay on its top, at about 15 metres, because schools of Almaco jacks, bluefish, barracudas and bonitos circle there. The regional guide compares its fish life with that of the remote offshore seamounts of the Azores. It also lists it for Advanced Open Water divers only: the current is strong and the reef is exposed. The dive centre adds €25 to the normal price for Rosais and needs at least four divers to go.

Ilhéu do Topo is the 20-hectare islet 100 metres off the eastern tip, 25 miles and about 75 minutes by boat from Velas. The south side is a gentle slope at 5 to 10 metres with an average of 12 metres, listed for all divers. The north side averages 18 metres and goes to 25, and the guide asks for Open Water certification there. On both sides the current at the tip of the island can be strong, and on those days the site is for experienced divers only. Yellowmouth barracudas, white trevallies and Atlantic bonitos are regulars at about 20 metres. With luck you may also see a wahoo hanging still in open water. The crossing is long, so ask the centre whether a Topo trip runs during your stay before you count on it.

Prices from the São Jorge Dive & Sail Center list as published in October 2026. The centre notes they can change without notice.

• Boat dives: one dive €50, two €80, four €150, six €210, ten €320. The price includes a 12-litre tank, weights and the guide. The ten-dive pack includes one Baixa dos Rosais trip.
• Extras: Baixa dos Rosais +€25, night dive +€30, both with a minimum of four people.
• Equipment hire per day: complete set with dive computer €30, BCD and regulator €15, wetsuit €10.
• Snorkelling: €40 per person with equipment. You go out on the same boat as the divers.
• Never dived: Try Scuba in the pool costs €60 (minimum four people); Basic Diver, pool then sea, costs €120 (minimum two).
• SSI courses: Scuba Diver €250, Open Water Diver €400, Advanced Open Water €300, Nitrox €200. The theory can be done online at home before the trip.

The nearest hyperbaric chamber is at the hospital in Horta, on Faial, 20 nautical miles from São Jorge. It serves all five islands of the central group, and the regional guide gives evacuation from São Jorge as by sea. The emergency number is 112, and the hospital in Horta is +351 292 201 000.

That distance is one more reason to dive conservatively here. Keep the deep sections at Queimada, Pesqueiro-Alto and Mouro de Lemos for days when you are well rested. Leave a clear gap between your last dive and the flight off the island, and ask the centre what interval it advises.

Can I snorkel on São Jorge without a boat?

Yes. The tide pools at Urzelina are the entry point for Portinhos da Urzelina, a sheltered site of 8 to 14 metres listed for snorkelling. With the dive centre, snorkellers join the boat for €40.

Which São Jorge dive sites are for beginners?

Gruta dos Corais in front of Velas, Baixa de Entre-Morros, and the two Urzelina sites. The south side of Ilhéu do Topo is listed for all divers, but only on days with little current.

How much does diving on São Jorge cost in 2026?

€50 for one boat dive or €80 for two, with tank, weights and guide included. Full equipment is €30 a day. Baixa dos Rosais costs €25 extra.

When is the dive season?

The Velas dive centre opens from 15 March to 31 October.

• Diving in the Azores: São Jorge
• Diving in the Azores: Gruta dos Corais
• Diving in the Azores: Baixa de Entre-Morros
• Diving in the Azores: Mouro de Lemos
• Diving in the Azores: Baixio da Ponta da Queimada
• Diving in the Azores: Portinhos da Urzelina
• Diving in the Azores: Ilhéu da Urzelina
• Diving in the Azores: Pesqueiro-Alto
• Diving in the Azores: Baixa dos Rosais
• Diving in the Azores: Ilhéu do Topo, south
• Diving in the Azores: Ilhéu do Topo, north
• Diving in the Azores: hyperbaric chambers
• São Jorge Dive & Sail Center: scuba diving prices
• São Jorge Dive & Sail Center: snorkelling price
• São Jorge Dive & Sail Center: about us
• São Jorge Dive & Sail Center: FAQ