The mobulas of Princess Alice

There are so many of them and they are gigantic! They are the mobulas of Princess Alice! Curious and sociable, they enjoy approaching the divers and play with their bubbles. To see them flying in the Big Blue, right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, is a truly lifetime experience. The species most frequently sighted is Mobula tarapacana and, less frequently, Manta birostris. The former is known as Devil fish in English and Jamanta in Portuguese.

How we dive Princess Alice

Departure is scheduled between 7am and 8am from our base in Madalena - Pico Island. Getting to Princess Alice is a 2.5-hour cruise at a minimum. Once there, our Team will prepare the dives which, due to the strong currents, are carried out on a descent line.

The mobulas and mantas will be swimming in a circle around the pinnacle situated at -30 metres, making it unnecessary to leave the place where we set anchor.
Leaving the descent line can make you quickly find yourself in the blue, far away from the boat and the action.
Because of that, the descent line can only be left upon authorisation by our dive guides.

A Princess Alice Expedition includes 2 dives. Surface interval is spent on board for lunch and can be made more interesting by going for a snorkel. Indeed, quite often the mobulas come up right to the surface, for the joy of snorkellers too!

With us, no one has ever got back disappointed from Princess Alice. It is going to be a lifetime experience. Once back to land you will have big stories to tell for days on end and it is an adventure you will remember for life. That's a promise - a very safe one to make!

Help the Manta Catalog Azores Project

Join us in supporting the scientists who work very hard for the conservation of mobulas and mantas.

If you are a diver, or simply had a chance to photograph a manta or mobula during any tour out at sea in the Azores, please send your photos to the Manta Catalog Azores Project (all details below).

The Manta Catalog Azores Project aims at providing a better understanding of the spatial ecology of Mobulid rays and the threats they are facing. In particular, the researchers want to learn where, when and why these animals aggregate at particular areas in the Atlantic Ocean, such as the seamounts in the Azores. For this, they have developed a photo-ID catalog and a sightings database (number of animals seen on each dive), with the help of citizen scientists (divers that provide data) and their collaborator dive centers, like us.

Important links:

• Manta Catalog Azores Project website
• Follow the project on social media:      

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