Octopus Diving Center
SSI dive centre in Praia da Vitoria, Terceira, running since 2008, with boat trips to Banco D. Joao de Castro, Vapor Lidador and Cinco Ribeiras.
Last updated September 2026
Book your dive directly with this centre.
About
A couple who relocated from mainland Portugal built Octopus Diving Center in 2008, on the sandy-beach side of Terceira in Praia da Vitoria, opposite Angra do Heroismo across the island. The stated aim was letting each diver experience the ocean their own way, and eighteen years on the centre still runs as an SSI dive centre and an Aqualung Partner Center, with no PADI affiliation on any of its own materials. Its course catalogue runs the SSI ladder from Open Water Diver through Advanced Open Water and Enriched Air Nitrox, plus a Scuba Skills Update refresher for divers returning after time away.
Its dive programme is entirely boat-based. Try Dive Ocean and the Basic Diver Program (Pool and Ocean) both introduce non-certified divers to the water, while certified divers can book a single or double guided fun dive or the longer Off Shore Dive out to Banco D. Joao de Castro, a site the centre itself calls an underwater volcano. The shallow Try Dive Ocean product runs inside the Underwater Archaeological Park of the Bay of Angra do Heroismo, a heritage designation, not a marine reserve, and Cinco Ribeiras is also listed among the centre's serviced sites. Outside diving, the same base runs a Swim with Dolphins trip and a boat snorkelling tour. Its site is offered in Portuguese and English only, and there is no online booking widget: bookings run by phone or email.
What divers say
Reviews spanning 2023 to 2025 return one consistent theme: careful, unhurried pacing for less-experienced or rusty divers. A solo diver returning to the sport after more than a year away describes everyone as unusually helpful, and a first-time diver says she felt comfortable from her first moment in the water with her instructor. A pair of divers with well over a thousand dives each, who have travelled widely to dive, single out the care taken pairing a very new diver with an experienced guide who also captains the boat. One diver requesting nitrox found it ready to test in a calm, relaxed atmosphere. No complaint pattern turns up across the reviews read.
Dive Sites (3)
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 Octopus Diving Center's official website before booking.
View pricing details▾
Courses
Guided Dives
Other Services
Prices are per person as published on the centre's own site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What certification agency runs the courses at Octopus Diving Center?▾
SSI. It is an SSI dive centre and an Aqualung Partner Center, and its course ladder runs Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water and Enriched Air Nitrox on that system, so a diver holding SSI cards elsewhere transfers in directly.
Is Octopus Diving Center in Praia da Vitoria or Angra do Heroismo?▾
Praia da Vitoria, on the opposite side of Terceira from Angra do Heroismo. The centre sits on the seafront next to the town's main sandy beach and runs boat trips from there, including across the island to sites near Angra Bay.
What is the offshore trip to Banco D. Joao de Castro like, and how deep does it go?▾
It is sold as an 8-hour Off Shore Dive to what the centre calls an underwater volcano, further out than its other boat dives. Neither this trip nor any other course or dive product has a published maximum depth or a stated certification prerequisite on the centre's own site, so confirm both directly when booking.
What does the Basic Diver Program (Pool and Ocean) cover?▾
It moves a first-timer from a pool session into the ocean the same day, over about 4 hours, sitting between the shorter no-certification Try Dive Ocean and the full SSI Open Water course on the centre's own product list.
Does Octopus Diving Center offer shore dives?▾
Its own current product line is entirely boat-based, from the try-dive through the offshore trip, with no shore-dive product listed. A separate dive-centre directory entry for it still tags shore dives among its offerings, a discrepancy this page cannot resolve, so ask directly if a shore entry matters to you.
Which dive sites does the centre visit?▾
Its shallow Try Dive Ocean product runs inside the Underwater Archaeological Park of the Bay of Angra do Heroismo (a heritage designation, not a marine reserve), and it also lists Cinco Ribeiras among its serviced sites, alongside the offshore Banco D. Joao de Castro seamount.
Is this your dive center?
Claim this page to manage your details, update pricing and hours, showcase your dive sites, and reach divers planning their next trip.