Blue shark (Prionace glauca)
38.5°N 28.4°W · Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic)
Azores
Blue shark workshop in the heart of the Atlantic
Dates & availability
- 12 to 19 July 2026 Sold out
- 4 to 14 August 2026 Sold out
- 16 to 26 August 2026 Sold out
Location Portugal
Duration 8 days / 7 nights
Level PADI Advanced Open Water / CMAS** or equivalent, min. 50 dives
From €1,819
Per diver, based on shared double room. Single room: €2,169 (+€350).
The expedition
One week in the Azores, between adventure and science.
Off the coast of Portugal, the Azores archipelago offers a rare change of scenery: lush volcanic landscapes, untouched wild nature, and beneath the surface, an Atlantic generous in exceptional encounters.
On the programme of this unique week: dives with the blue shark and a citizen-science workshop. The most heavily fished species in the world, the blue shark is nonetheless an animal of remarkable elegance, and the Azores are among the few places where you can meet it in open water, in its element. A privilege, and a responsibility.
Underwater, you are not mere observers: you become actors in its protection. Together, you will collect data essential to monitoring the species: photo-identification, size estimation through laser photogrammetry, behaviour observation, and contribute to an unprecedented record of the Azores' blue sharks.
The headline encounter
Five dives with the blue shark, out in the open blue
What you see
Underwater, in Azores.
Mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)
Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)
Smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena)
Mobula rays of Princess Alice (Mobula tarapacana)
Dolphins
What you do
What you’ll do — or can do.
- Photo-ID of the sharks
- Laser photogrammetry
- Analysis workshops
- Talks
- 5 dedicated shark dives
- Snorkelling with dolphins
- Whale watching (up to 27 cetacean species)
- Discovering the local cuisine
- Hikes among UNESCO World Heritage vineyards
- Climbing Mount Pico (Portugal’s highest point)
- Dives at Princess Alice
The journey
Day by day.
Day 1
Flight to the Azores (Horta or Pico), welcomed by a member of the team, check-in at the Hotel Caravelas, briefing and dinner in town.
Day 2
Refresher dive, talks and shark-dive briefing.
Day 3
1 shark dive (~75 min), debrief / talks.
Days 4 to 5
Full days at sea: 2 shark dives (~75 min each), meals on board.
Day 6
Optional activities: hikes, whale watching, snorkelling with dolphins, Princess Alice or a shark dive. Exam and award of certificates.
Day 7
Free day, kept in reserve in case of changeable weather (placed as a guide, movable in poor conditions). Photo-ID and laser-photogrammetry workshops in the afternoon.
Day 8
Return flight to the mainland.
Good to know
Before you go.
-
Temperate oceanic climate
Water: 19 to 24 °C Air: 20 to 25 °C
-
The boat
Private RIB or aluminium boat
-
Wetsuit
7 mm full suit (ideally 5 mm freediving type), hood and gloves mandatory, dark colours
-
For the workshop
Camera, video and laptop to take part in the workshop
Citizen science
Your contribution, here.
On every dive, you photograph and film the sharks encountered to photo-identify them, and use a laser photogrammetry rig to measure them without handling them. Back on land, you take part in the analysis workshops and help refine our knowledge of the species and its interactions with humans. Together, you build an unprecedented record of the Azorean population, made up almost exclusively of adult males. All the data collected is passed to a collective of local and international scientists.
Since the beginning in 2024
25
workshop dives
35
contributing participants
51
individuals identified
22
individuals measured by laser photogrammetry
+220
blue shark sightings (2024-2025)
The trip
What's included.
Included
- Welcome and transfers (including sea transfers to/from Horta)
- Double-room accommodation + breakfasts at the Hotel Caravelas (7 nights)
- 1 refresher dive + 5 shark dives (~75 min each)
- 15 L and 12 L AIR steel tanks, weights included
- Lunches on the full days at sea (days 4 to 5)
- Local guide
- Supervision by the Blue Mind Expeditions team
- Citizen-science talks and workshops
Not included
- International flights
- Cancellation insurance (recommended) and diving insurance (mandatory)
- Meals not mentioned, drinks
- Equipment rental
- Single room
- Options (whale watching, dolphins, hikes, Princess Alice, extra shark or coastal dives)
- Tips and personal expenses
The detailed programme and full terms are sent on request, contact us.
Registration
Interested in this expedition?
No online booking: fill in this form and we will get back to you to plan everything together.
Keep reading the logbook
