Introductory Scuba Dive (Try-Dive)

The try-dive at Dive Azores is the entry point for non-divers who want to get underwater around Faial without committing to a full certification course. It is led by the same team of licensed dive guides and marine biologists who handle all the centre's guided dives — there is no separate track for beginners that gets handed to a junior member of staff.

Faial has beginner-friendly sites close to Horta, with Entre Montes being the most accessible: a gentle volcanic slope from 5 to 20m, sand patches, stingrays, parrotfish cleaning stations. For a first-time diver this is a good introduction to what the Azores actually looks like underwater — subtropical species, clear water, volcanic terrain — without the exposure to current or depth that characterises the advanced sites.

All rental equipment is MARES, annually serviced. The 7mm one-piece wetsuits are appropriate for Faial's water temperatures, which sit around 21–23ºC in summer. Tanks are 12L or 15L steel with DIN and Yoke fittings. A detailed briefing is run before every dive, and the crew helps participants gear up on board when the boat reaches the site.

For anyone who wants to go further, Dive Azores runs the complete PADI and SSI lines from this same base. The SSI e-learning option allows the theory portion to be completed at home before arriving, so the in-water time in Faial is used entirely for practical training.