Pico do Ambrosio

A volcanic seamount pinnacle off Terceira's northeast coast rising from 60 metres to within 22 metres of the surface, Pico do Ambrosio is the island's signature big animal dive. The summit and flanks are thick with yellow and orange gorgonian sea fans, large black coral trees, and aggregations of bream and wrasse. Blue sharks appear reliably in summer, often circling the pinnacle tip at mid-water depth. Bottlenose dolphins are a consistent presence, and sperm whales have been documented in the deeper water surrounding the seamount during spring.