Access to location
Known as the Green Island, this is the biggest island of the Azores. It is about 54 miles away from its nearest neighbour, the island of Santa Maria, and about two times that distance from the closest island of the central group, Terceira.
Best time to visit location
São Miguel offers divers a great variety of sites and is easily accessible, with daily nonstop flights and a fascinating city base full of history and interesting monuments. Among the many coastal dive sites the ‘Dori’ shipwreck is undoubtedly the highlight. This Liberty ship from World War II rests on a sandy seafloor at an ideal depth for diving, just a few minutes away from the city of Ponta Delgada.
Between may and september
Information about the site
Amora is located in the South coast of São Miguel Island, between Ponta Garça and Ribeira Quente.
Unlike other diving spots, this one is characterised by the absence of rock formations. Instead, it features quite large pebbles over a seabed of sand.
The dive starts at 15/16 m deep, descending to 28 m of maximum depth, where large jewfishes live.
During the dive, you will enjoy the company of barred hogfishes (Bodianus scrofa), Ballan wrasses (Labrus bergylta), Mediterranean parrotfishes (Sparisoma cretense) and blacktail combers (Serranus atricauda).
Spread through the peddle area there are Mediterranean rainbow wrasses (Coris julis), ornate wrasses (Thalassoma pavo), white seabreams (Diplodus sargus cadenati), moray eels (Muraena augusti) and salema porgy (Sarpa salpa).
Into the blue it is common to find large shoals of blue jack mackerels (Trachurus picturatus), amberjacks (Seriola spp.) and yellowmouth barracudas (Sphyraena viridensis).
Conditions around the site
The dive starts at 15/16 m deep, descending to 28 m of maximum depth, where large jewfishes live.
Recommended diver experience level
Advanced DiverAdvanced Diver,Advanced diver with certificate up to rescue diver and at least 50 dives