Marine Conservation in the Azores

The Azores are a remote archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,360 km west of Portugal. The islands are some of the most remote in the world, and are a hotspot for biodiversity. Teeming with life both on land and underwater, this is an ecologist’s dream destination. There are about 900,000 square km of marine reserves in the archipelago, and it is well-known for its resident and migratory whale populations

Dive Azores has a long history of environmental action , primarily focused on shark and cetacean research. Since 2020 Conservation Diver Board member George Bevan has been collaborating with the Tiago Castro and Joana Vaz Pereira from Dive Azores on Faial island to bring Conservation Diver Certification courses to the island in hope of developing more research-led scientific tourism to the region.

The new Conservation Diver center in the Azores will be offering the newly developed whale monitoring and conservation programs as well as further courses developed especially for the region.

What We Offer

Our primary focus is on whale identification and population monitoring. Check out the following two courses:

Whale Conservationist course

Whale Research Assistant course

For more information on these program click here.

When To Come

Whale Research Season is March-September of each year. Diving courses will be offered June-September

Book a Course

To get more information about this program you can contact Tiago Castro at tiagodiveazores@gmail.com.