Princess Alice Bank is a very special place on our
planet, difficult to reach but amazing rewards for those lucky enough to get
there.
In the middle of the Atlantic, 45
nautical miles offshore from the nearest island, this underwater seamount rises
up from over 6,000 feet deep to its highest point only 115 feet from the ocean
surface.
This is where we dropped
anchor, right on its "summit", then had a briefing by our dive master
and donned our SCUBA gear.
During a short period of time every summer, large groups
of Mobula rays and Mantas converge upon this area to feed as it attracts lots
of other big fish including large tunas, jacks and barracudas. Thanks again to Jonathan and Melissa for
getting married in Portugal and for giving us an excuse to go to the Azores to
climb Mt. Pico, and to be on Pico Island at the perfect time of year to witness
this sensation.
Denise and I clipped onto a weighted descent line for
safety as the strong open ocean currents can easily sweep you out into the
oblivion.
It wasn't long until our first
visitors came gracefully "flying" by to check us out and play in our
bubbles.
We counted 16 Mobulas (also
known as Devil Fish) on our very first dive.
The wingspan on these beautiful creatures was at least 12 feet across on
some of the larger ones and they seemed even bigger when swimming in the water
next to them.
I was pleased to capture
some great pics and video of this remarkable experience on my GoPro Hero 8, and
hope you enjoy them as well!
Video of me shooting the prior video of the
single Mobula from underneath
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| At Pico Sport dive shop in Madalena before doing
two "checkout" shore dives the day prior |
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4:07 AM on Aug. 15 boarding the Blue Bay for a slow but
steady 5+ hour journey to the Bank
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Dinner and view from our Airbnb above the town of São
Roque, Pico Island
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