Princess Alice Bank
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Named for the research vessel of Prince Albert I of Monaco, which sounded the bank in 1896, Princess Alice is an open-ocean seamount whose summit lies about 35 m down with nothing but Atlantic around it. Divers descend a line or drift over the plateau while sicklefin devil rays rise from the blue in slow, stacked formations, sometimes dozens deep, circling swimmers at the safety stop. Jacks and yellowmouth barracuda school over the top, and anything can cruise past — this is one of Europe's few genuine pelagic stations.
The moment you come for: Summer devil-ray carousels, blue-water descents, schooling jacks over a mid-Atlantic summit
Topography: Basalt summit plateau at about 35 m falling away into deep ocean on all sides
Current: Current over the summit can strengthen without warning; dives are managed as live-boat drifts.
Entry: Roughly 45 nautical miles southwest of Faial and Pico — a crossing of several hours each way, run only in settled summer weather.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Deep start, bottomless blue water, surface current and remoteness — self-sufficiency and a DSMB are essential.
Conservation: A recognized offshore biodiversity site; operators follow no-touch, no-chase practice around the ray aggregations.
Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★☆☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting