Mantamaria Dive Center

Azores, Portugal

The team at Mantamaria Dive Center are our go-to for serious pelagic encounters in the Azores. We’ve always found their crew to be incredibly knowledgeable, especially when it comes to reading the ocean and knowing where to find the big stuff. They specialise in trips to the famous Ambrósio Bank, a seamount offshore that’s a magnet for schooling mobulas in summer. If you’re chasing that unforgettable moment of being surrounded by hundreds of these elegant rays, Mantamaria is your best bet. What we really appreciate is their commitment to respectful interactions. They don’t chase, they position you for the best view as the mobulas cruise by. You’ll spend less time motoring and more time in the water with these gentle giants. Beyond the mobios, they also run trips to Dollabarat, another excellent offshore bank, where we’ve often encountered schools of barracuda so dense they make the water shimmer, plus the occasional blue shark patrolling the depths. Visibility out here can hit 30 metres, a deep, clear blue that feels truly wild. Book early for the summer months, that's when the mobulas are most reliable. It's a full-day commitment, but absolutely worth it.