Banco João Lopes

João Lopes Bank lies off the north coast of Santa Maria, approximately one nautical mile northwest of Anjos. Access is by boat, with a journey of approximately 30 minutes from Vila do Porto marina. It is a shallow bank whose top begins around 14 metres and descends to nearly 40 metres. Because it is far from the coast, it is common to encounter moderate to strong currents here; combined with the depth surrounding the entire bank, it is a location reserved for experienced divers, from Advanced Open Water level and above.

The structure features steep slopes and vertical walls, with some plateaus around 20 metres that serve well as observation points. At the top of the bank you will find the typical fauna of Azores seabeds: rainbow wrasse (Coris julis), peacock wrasse (Thalassoma pavo), schools of salema (Sarpa salpa) and the curious dusky grouper (Serranus atricauda).

It is from those plateaus that you can best see pelagic fish passing through the blue, such as greater amberjack (Seriola rivoliana) and Atlantic barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis). Along the bottom, beside the vertical wall, it is frequent to encounter large dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), and it is not uncommon for groups of devil rays (Mobula tarapacana) to appear swimming around the bank. This entire setting makes João Lopes Bank a highly sought-after location for underwater photography.