Princess Alice Bank

Madalena, Pico · Azores · Portugal

Princess Alice Bank is one of the most extraordinary dive sites on Earth: a vast submarine mountain rising from over 1,000 metres depth to within 30 metres of the surface in the open Atlantic Ocean, 90 kilometres southwest of the Azores island of Pico. Named after the yacht of Prince Albert I of Monaco, who surveyed the seamount in 1896, Princess Alice has become a legendary destination for divers seeking encounters with large pelagic species in the raw, unfiltered open ocean. The seamount summit forms a plateau at 30 to 40 metres depth, roughly 500 metres long and 200 metres wide, surrounded by deep blue water dropping away into the abyss on all sides. Diving here is a blue water experience unlike any other in Europe: you descend into open ocean, drift to the seamount top, and wait for the show. And what a show it is. The signature spectacle is the carousel of mobula rays. During the summer months, hundreds of these graceful rays aggregate above the seamount, swimming in vast spiralling formations that can extend vertically from near the surface to the seamount top. Watching this aerial ballet from below is one of diving's supreme experiences. Mixed in with the mobulas, giant oceanic manta rays with wingspans exceeding 5 metres make appearances, cruising through the carousels with effortless power. Blue sharks are regular visitors, elegant and curious, often circling divers at a comfortable distance. Schools of wahoo, tuna, and amberjack streak past in hunting packs, while yellowmouth barracuda form shimmering walls in the current. Lucky divers may encounter Galapagos sharks or even the occasional whale shark. Above the surface, common and bottlenose dolphins frequently ride the bow wave on the crossing. The diving is challenging. Strong currents sweep the seamount, and conditions can change within minutes. There is no sheltered anchorage, so boats must drift with divers. The depth, current, distance from shore, and open ocean environment demand high levels of experience, fitness, and composure. Most operators require a minimum of Advanced Open Water certification and significant logged dives. Reaching Princess Alice requires a commitment: the two-and-a-half to three-hour boat crossing from Pico or Faial can be rough, and weather cancellations are frequent. But for those who make it, the reward is an encounter with ocean wilderness that has no equal in European waters. Princess Alice Bank is diving at its most elemental: you, the blue, and whatever the ocean decides to send your way.