CW Azores
SSI dive centre and whale-watching operator at Madalena marina, Pico, running shark, Princess Alice Bank and coastal diving from four boats.
Last updated September 2026
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About
CW Azores began as a whale-watching operator, and that heritage still shapes how the scuba side runs. Diving is one of several product lines out of the Madalena marina base on Pico, alongside whale-watching tours, dolphin swims and snorkelling, and the team behind it includes marine biologists and naturalist guides as well as dive staff.
Trading as CW Azores, the company (legally Cetacean Watching Lda.) was founded in 2007 by Enrico Villa, Dania Tesei and Michael Costa. It holds an official Azores whale-watching licence (No. 3/2008) alongside its SSI Dive Centre registration (No. 735181) and a Portuguese travel-agency registration. The base sits at Cais da Madalena, in the Madalena marina, directly across from the inter-island ferry station, with the boats about 20 metres from the dive centre door. Four boats work from there, from the 10.5-metre Kometa down to two 7.5-metre RIBs.
The diving programme covers coastal dives around Pico by boat or shore, night and cavern dives, and two offshore lines: blue-water expeditions for blue shark and shortfin mako, and a full-day, two-tank trip out to the Princess Alice Bank seamount for sicklefin devil rays, the commoner mobulid on that seamount, with occasional oceanic mantas.
Both offshore lines carry the same entry bar: a check dive with CW Azores, a minimum of PADI Advanced Open Water or equivalent, at least 50 logged dives, and a minimum age of 18. The centre states it makes no exceptions.
What divers say
The clearest evidence for what sets CW Azores apart from Pico Sport, the marina's other operator, comes from one diver who booked with both across the same week and wrote up the difference in detail. That account favoured CW Azores' shark-dive technique, two heavily weighted drop lines instead of four, and its typically smaller groups, four to six divers against eight, over the alternative.
Independent accounts repeatedly single out blue shark and mako encounters as reliable, alongside multiple Princess Alice mobula sightings within the same trips, and describe the crew as passionate, knowledgeable and safety-conscious. On one dive a blue shark was found carrying two embedded fishing hooks; the guide managed to remove one underwater.
Dive Sites (2)
Facilities
Pricing
We do our best to show current pricing, but rates may change without notice. Last verified September 2026. Always confirm the latest prices on CW Azores's official website before booking.
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Guided Dives
Guided-dive prices include tanks, weights, a divemaster and transport to and from the dive sites; the Princess Alice Expedition includes a pack lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What certification and experience do I need for the shark and Princess Alice Bank trips?▾
A firm bar applies to both: a check dive with CW Azores, a minimum of PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent), at least 50 logged dives, and a minimum age of 18. The centre says it makes no exceptions. Coastal diving around Pico does not carry that requirement and suits divers at a more general recreational level.
How far offshore is Princess Alice Bank, and how deep and long is the season?▾
About 45 nautical miles southwest of Pico, a crossing of roughly two and a half hours each way on the full-day, two-tank trip. CW Azores' own distance conversion varies, between about 83 and 85 km depending on which page you check, and its stated pinnacle depth is inconsistent across its own site too: 32 metres on one page, 35 metres on another, and -30 metres on a third; one diver's own trip report logged the top of the pinnacle at 34.8 metres. The season runs at least the beginning of July to the end of September, with the centre's own pages disagreeing on whether it extends to mid-October.
Can I dive from shore, or is everything boat-based?▾
Coastal dives around Pico are offered both by boat and directly from shore. The shark and Princess Alice Bank trips are boat-only: the shark grounds are reached in about an hour's run offshore, and Princess Alice Bank is a two-and-a-half-hour crossing each way.
Is this a dedicated dive shop, or mainly a whale-watching operator?▾
Whale watching is CW Azores' original and larger licensed business. It holds an Azores whale-watching licence dating to 2008, and diving runs alongside it as one of several product lines, together with dolphin swims and snorkelling, from the same Madalena base and boats. The team includes marine biologists and naturalist guides as well as dive staff, a mix that comes from the whale-watching side of the business.
What are diving conditions like around Pico?▾
CW Azores describes water temperatures from about 16 degC in winter to 25 degC in summer, with visibility typically 15-30 metres or more, and says there is often no thermocline at all around Pico, aside from a couple of spots it flags to divers on site.
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