Blue Shark and Mako Diving in the Azores: What to Know Before You Book

Few divers ever see a blue shark. It is one of the most widespread sharks on the planet, found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide, yet it lives far offshore, in deep blue water that recreational divers rarely reach. The same is true of the shortfin mako, the fastest of all sharks.

Off the island of Pico, in the middle of the North Atlantic, both species can be met on a single dive. This guide explains what blue water shark diving in the Azores involves, who it is for, when to come and what to expect on the day, so you can decide whether it belongs on your list.

Why the Azores?

The Azores sit on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, about 1,400 km west of mainland Portugal. Deep water starts close to the islands, and the open ocean around them is a feeding and transit area for large pelagic animals: whales, dolphins, mobula rays, tuna and sharks.

For blue sharks the region matters even more. A long-term tagging study led by researchers from the University of the Azores (Vandeperre et al., PLoS ONE, 2014) followed blue sharks across their life stages for up to around 1,000 days. It found evidence of a discrete nursery in the central North Atlantic, bounded by the Azores to the north, where juvenile blue sharks stay for at least two years. In other words, the waters around the archipelago are part of the blue shark's home range, not just a place they pass through.

The two sharks you can meet

Blue shark (Prionace glauca)

• Size: on average about 2.2 metres, up to around 4 metres.
• Look: slender body, long pointed snout, very long pectoral fins and a deep blue back that fades to white underneath.
• Behaviour on the dive: curious. Blue sharks approach divers closely and circle, often for long periods, which makes them excellent photographic subjects. Worldwide, very few incidents with blue sharks have been recorded.

Shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)

• Size: on average about 3.2 metres, up to around 3.8 metres.
• Look: stocky and muscular, with a pointed snout, large black eyes and a crescent-shaped tail.
• Behaviour on the dive: a mako sighting is the highlight of any season. Makos belong to the same family as the great white shark (Lamnidae) and can keep their body temperature several degrees above the surrounding water, which makes them extremely fast and active. They are potentially dangerous and require heightened awareness, which is why every dive is closely managed by experienced guides.

What a shark expedition looks like

Shark diving off Pico is a full ocean day, not a quick coastal dive. With CW Azores, a shark expedition lasts about 5 to 6 hours:

1. Navigation. The dive sites are offshore. Reaching them takes about one hour by boat.
2. Attracting the sharks. The crew uses chumming techniques that keep the amount of food, blood and oil in the water to a minimum. How long it takes for sharks to arrive varies from day to day, which is why the total duration varies too.
3. Briefing. Before entering the water, every diver is briefed on how to behave around the sharks and how to recognise potentially dangerous behaviour.
4. The dive. Each diver gets one tank (12 or 15 litres). The dive lasts up to 75 minutes, and you do not need to go deeper than 5 to 10 metres.
5. Return. The guide can end a dive at any time if the behaviour of the sharks, or of a diver, calls for it.

Touching and feeding the sharks is strictly forbidden. The success rate for shark encounters on these expeditions is over 90%.

Blue water diving: what makes it different

A blue water dive takes place over very deep water, far from any wall or reef. That changes the skills you need:

• No visual reference. There is no sea floor or wall to tell you how deep you are or which way is up. You must watch your depth gauge or computer constantly.
• Buoyancy control is everything. Holding a steady depth in open water, while sharks move around you, takes practice.
• Orientation. Divers stay close to the group and the boat, following the guide's instructions at all times.

For these reasons, CW Azores asks shark divers to meet these requirements:

• at least 18 years old;
• certified to at least PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent;
• a minimum of 50 logged dives;
• a check dive with the team first, which is a regular, relaxed coastal dive around Pico.

If you are not there yet, a season of local diving at home and an Advanced course will get you ready. The check dive is also a good chance to get used to the local conditions and your rental equipment before going offshore.

When to go

Blue sharks are pelagic and seasonal visitors around Pico, arriving with the warmer summer water. In good years they are already present by mid-June. The main shark diving season runs through the summer and early autumn, and CW Azores' Adventure Package for Scuba Divers is scheduled from mid-July to mid-October, when sea conditions and shark presence are most reliable.

Summer is also the best time for the Azores' other big blue water experience: the giant mobula rays at the Princess Alice Bank, an offshore seamount that is reached by boat from Pico. Many divers combine both in a single trip.

Prices

At the time of writing, CW Azores prices are:

All shark diving prices include tanks, weights and a shark diving guide. Check the Shark Diving page for current availability.

Why these encounters matter for shark conservation

Diving with sharks in the open ocean is a privilege, and both species face serious pressure from fishing.

• Blue shark. It is probably the most caught and traded shark in the world, taken both as a target and as bycatch in longline fisheries. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Near Threatened. Since 25 November 2023, the blue shark and the rest of the requiem shark family (Carcharhinidae) are listed in Appendix II of CITES, which means international trade in their fins and meat must be shown to be legal and sustainable.
• Shortfin mako. In March 2019 the IUCN reassessed the shortfin mako from Vulnerable to Endangered, after estimating a steep global population decline over three generations. The species was added to CITES Appendix II the same year. In the North Atlantic, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted Recommendation 21-09, which prohibited retaining North Atlantic shortfin makos caught in ICCAT fisheries in 2022 and 2023 as a first step towards rebuilding the stock.

Well-run shark tourism adds a simple argument to these measures: a living shark that divers travel to see is worth more to a local community, year after year, than a dead one. Responsible operators keep chum to a minimum, forbid touching and feeding, and share sightings with scientists. Your dive helps make that case.

Before you book: a quick checklist

• Advanced Open Water (or equivalent) and 50+ logged dives
• Recent dives, so your buoyancy is sharp
• Dive insurance that covers open water diving
• Seasickness remedy if you are prone to it (5-6 hours at sea)
• A spare day in your schedule, in case weather moves an expedition
• Book early for July to September, the busiest months

Ready to meet the sharks of the open Atlantic? Book a shark expedition with CW Azores or ask the team which dates fit your trip.

Sources: CW Azores (shark diving programme and requirements); Vandeperre F. et al. (2014), "Movements of Blue Sharks (Prionace glauca) across Their Life History", PLoS ONE 9(8): e103538; IUCN Red List (shortfin mako reassessment, March 2019); CITES Notification 2023/137 (CoP19 amendments in force from 25 November 2023); ICCAT Recommendation 21-09.