Formigas and Dollabarat is a protected offshore area comprising an islet reef, a deep-water seamount, and a canyon system, all reached by boat from Santa Maria or São Miguel. The terrain is varied and demanding: Banco Dollabarat rises to a pinnacle just below the surface before dropping to seventy metres on dramatic walls, while Formigas Canyon descends through a complex reef and wall system to sixty metres. Strong currents and surge are consistent features, and all three sites are listed for advanced divers only. Spinetail devil rays, whale sharks, mako sharks, and an array of nudibranchs and cephalopods appear in the species records. The warmest and most settled conditions run from late summer into autumn.
Monthly water temperature across Formigas and Dollabarat's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Water temperatures at Formigas and Dollabarat run slightly cooler through much of the year than at islands further north-west, with summer peaks arriving later, in September and October. Winter and spring temperatures sit in the high teens. Divers should plan for variable conditions year-round given the exposed offshore position.
Water temperature around Formigas and Dollabarat ranges from about 16°C in April to 20°C in October, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 20°C) a 5mm suit is comfortable in Formigas and Dollabarat; in the coldest months (about 16°C) step up to a 7mm or semi-dry suit.
Fin maps 3 sites in Formigas and Dollabarat (3 scuba diving sites).
1 more site to explore
