Portugal · Santa Maria
Best Time to Dive in Santa Maria, Azores
36.93°N 25.13°W
The best conditions run May to September for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 42% of days, against 94% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- Water
- 17–24 °C
- Visibility
- 15–35 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.7–1.5 m
- Species logged
- 10
Worth knowing: 42% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
222 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Santa Maria, Azores — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 19 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Quiet | Quiet | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Peak | Peak | Peak | Busy | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Sep
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Santa Maria, Azores diving season
April · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 18–18 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough.
May to September · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 19–24 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 6 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. It rains less.
Marine lifeSicklefin devil ray (hit-or-miss) peaks at Santa Maria, Azores in these months.
October · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–23 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more.
Marine lifeSicklefin devil ray (hit-or-miss) peaks at Santa Maria, Azores in these months.
November to March · Off season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 17–21 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 11 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Azores water temperature and weather
1,489 underwater observation records · 26 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Santa Maria, Azores water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
22
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 72% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
8
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
9
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.4 m | 44% | 12 | 3 | 17 °C | 9.7 h |
| February | 4.3 m | 38% | 9 | 2 | 17 °C | 10.6 h |
| March | 5.1 m | 43% | 10 | 1 | 16 °C | 11.7 h |
| April | 4.3 m | 32% | 10 | 2 | 17 °C | 13.0 h |
| May | 2.8 m | 20% | 9 | 1 | 18 °C | 14.0 h |
| June | 2.2 m | 9% | 5 | 1 | 20 °C | 14.5 h |
| July | 1.9 m | 2% | 3 | 0 | 22 °C | 14.3 h |
| August | 1.9 m | 5% | 5 | 1 | 24 °C | 13.4 h |
| September | 2.8 m | 8% | 8 | 0 | 23 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 3.9 m | 35% | 12 | 3 | 22 °C | 11.0 h |
| November | 4.0 m | 38% | 11 | 2 | 20 °C | 10.0 h |
| December | 4.8 m | 44% | 12 | 3 | 18 °C | 9.5 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Good | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of July
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 18 °C | 4.3 m | 40 km/h | 42% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 4.7 m | 39 km/h | 42% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 18 °C | 4.2 m | 38 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 18 °C | 3.6 m | 37 km/h | 32% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 3.7 m | 37 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 17 °C | 4.6 m | 37 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 17 °C | 4.9 m | 35 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 17 °C | 4.7 m | 34 km/h | 33% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 5.1 m | 36 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 17 °C | 5.2 m | 38 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 17 °C | 5.0 m | 35 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 17 °C | 4.7 m | 38 km/h | 34% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 5.0 m | 40 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 17 °C | 4.7 m | 36 km/h | 40% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 18 °C | 2.9 m | 33 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Good | 18 °C | 3.3 m | 32 km/h | 26% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 18 °C | 3.3 m | 32 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Good | 18 °C | 2.8 m | 30 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.7 m | 27 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.4 m | 27 km/h | 25% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 20 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 20 °C | 2.2 m | 25 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 21 °C | 2.1 m | 24 km/h | 16% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 21 °C | 2.0 m | 26 km/h | 13% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 21 °C | 1.8 m | 26 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.9 m | 25 km/h | 10% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 23 °C | 2.0 m | 24 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.9 m | 23 km/h | 10% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.9 m | 24 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.7 m | 23 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.8 m | 23 km/h | 15% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 23 km/h | 22% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.4 m | 26 km/h | 27% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.8 m | 26 km/h | 25% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.6 m | 26 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Good | 24 °C | 2.6 m | 29 km/h | 29% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 23 °C | 3.1 m | 30 km/h | 36% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 3.9 m | 32 km/h | 37% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 4.0 m | 37 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 3.8 m | 38 km/h | 41% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 21 °C | 3.8 m | 36 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 21 °C | 3.8 m | 36 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 20 °C | 3.8 m | 39 km/h | 38% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 20 °C | 4.3 m | 38 km/h | 43% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 20 °C | 4.8 m | 36 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 19 °C | 5.2 m | 38 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 19 °C | 4.6 m | 39 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 19 °C | 3.9 m | 39 km/h | 41% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 5 mm + | February: 7 mm | March: 7 mm | April: 5 mm + | May: 5 mm + | June: 5 mm + | July: 5 mm | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm | October: 5 mm | November: 5 mm + | December: 5 mm + |
- Nov–Jan5 mm with hood and gloves
- Feb–Mar7 mm semi-dry
- Apr–Jun5 mm with hood and gloves
- Jul–Oct5 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
4 of the last 30 Octobers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Aug–Jan.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Santa Maria, Azores marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottlenose dolphin | May, Jul–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 118 | ||
| Atlantic spotted dolphin | Jul–Aug | Near-guaranteed | 488 | ||
| Sperm whale | May, Jul–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 113 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jun–Aug | Near-guaranteed | 255 | ||
| Short-finned pilot whale | Jul–Aug | Likely | 29 | ||
| Blue whale | Mar | Hit-or-miss | 16 | ||
| Sicklefin devil ray | Sep–Oct | Hit-or-miss | 11 | ||
| Common dolphin | May–Jun, Dec | Near-guaranteed | 361 | ||
| Yellowfin tuna | Jul, Oct | Likely | 50 | ||
| Minke whale | May, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 18 |
Peak Present No survey data
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Santa Maria, Azores — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Santa Maria, Azores?
- The best conditions run May to September for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 42% of days, against 94% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Santa Maria, Azores?
- The diving season in Santa Maria, Azores runs May to September.
- Is the diving in Santa Maria, Azores good for beginners?
- It is better with some experience. It suits Advanced Open Water divers or equivalent, so newer divers should ask the local operator which sites fit their level.
- How warm is the water in Santa Maria, Azores?
- Between 17 and 24 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in March and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Santa Maria, Azores?
- A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Santa Maria, Azores?
- Roughly 15 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Santa Maria, Azores?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bottlenose dolphin (near-guaranteed), Atlantic spotted dolphin (near-guaranteed) and Sperm whale (near-guaranteed), from 1,489 records within 60 km.
- Does Santa Maria, Azores get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Aug–Jan, most often in October at 4 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Santa Maria, Azores?
- The tide rises and falls 1.5 m around the full and new moon, against 0.7 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Santa Maria, Azores?
- January–February are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Santa Maria, Azores?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Sep.