Formigas & Dollabarat
DivingNo permitNo mooring buoys
Reef & coral
- Best time
- Jul–Sep
- Water temp.
- 18–24 °C
- Dive depth
- 10–40 m
Bare rocks in mid-Atlantic with 40m visibility, and beneath them Dollabarat's submerged reef, all overhangs, arches and canyons. Manta and mobula rays, dusky groupers, huge amberjack, barracuda walls, whale sharks in warm years, and sometimes nothing but blue and current. A nature reserve since 1988 and one of the most isolated dive sites in Europe. The Formigas have wrecked ships for centuries, most famously the Portuguese vessel Dollabarat, which gave the reef its name. Prince Albert I of Monaco charted these waters in the 1890s. Anchorage: No anchorage; day trips from Santa Maria in flat conditions. Hazards: An exposed offshore reef 23nm out with strong current and no shelter. Settled weather and a licensed operator.



