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The dive sites (especially in the open sea for shark and manta encounters, as well as the caves near Faial and the lava tongues along the coast) were excellent.
The dive guides were very helpful throughout, especially Seb, who really did a great job to give us a fantastic diving experience.
Unfortunately, the organization by Pico Sports was a complete mess, as far too many guests were accepted for the limited capacity, and in addition to bad weather days, a clumsy organization of the diving excursions almost led to a mutiny of our group.

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Stellungnahme von Frank Wirth - Pico Sport
Sie sind im Rahmen einer Gruppenreise mit dem sehr erfahrenen UW Fotografen und Gruppenleiter Heinz Toperczer auf dieser Gruppenreise bei Pico Sport gewesen.
Bereits am Anfang gab es durch die Basis sowie die Guides und dem Reiseleiter eine Einweisung. Dabei wurde explizit darauf hingewiesen, dass wir sehr wetterabhängig sind und progressiv arbeiten bei der täglichen Planung. Dabei haben wir uns mega flexibel verhalten und versucht allen Bedingungen zum Trotz das Beste an Tauchplätzen zu tauchen, was möglich war. Deshalb konnten auch alle ausgeschriebenen Highlights getaucht werden - inklusive der Princess Alice Tour.
Dass einige Tauchplätze in der Nähe der Insel mit Zodiaks angefahren werden, ist normal bei ALLEN Tauchbasen der Azoren. Auch wurde von den Guides gebrieft, dass man Verpflegung mitbringen muss weil man gerade beim Haitauchen nie weiß, wie lange man draußen bleibt.
Alle anderen Gäste waren mit den Leistungen der Basis einverstanden und dankbar, dass wir flexibel agiert haben. Die Bilder von Heinz zeigen auch, welche großartigen Begegnungen unter Wasser stattgefunden haben.

Even if, due to the often changing weather conditions, a little more information and coordination with the dive planning would help and possibly take better account of our own expectations.
You have to carry your own food and drinks - sometimes for a whole day in a zodiac without sun protection - which unfortunately was not always communicated in advance.
The dive sites are ok, but also very dependent on the creatures that can be found on site. It can indeed happen that you only have current and rocks and see nothing. This is not the dive center's fault, but you have to be aware of this if you still want to book such expensive dives.
Advertised as a group trip with a fixed diving package and ending up alone with (weather-related) completely changed and rather harbor and shore dives than TG on the open sea. On the one hand, that's just the way the Atlantic is, on the other hand, every evening without a group and every day hoping to be scheduled for dives with other "normal" divers and not to "fall behind"
Too bad... it would have been easier.

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Incredibly great team. Amazing experiences on and under the water!

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First of all: My opinion is highly subjective, and the situation may be seen quite differently by other divers!
If you are looking for great comfort and expect everything to be done for you, you are completely wrong here. But if you accept the conditions, you will have a great time! The owner, Frank, is always available (in person or via WhatsApp) and invites you for a beer. The base is rustic but functionally furnished. There is a unisex toilet and an outdoor shower. There are no changing rooms, but you can find a quiet spot to get changed. You haul your own luggage and carry it across the road to the boat. The small hard-bottomed inflatable boats jump hard over the waves (if you get seasick, you should definitely take something beforehand), and getting back into the boat after the dive is a bit of a challenge as there is no ladder. However, the skippers and guides do a great job here and help out. I have to praise the driving skills of the skipper, who knows how to handle the nutshell even when the waves are rough. We took the whale-watching boat out to dive several times, which means there's not much room for the equipment lying on the ground, which you then have to put on the small, rocking boat. Everything works, especially if you help each other.
Overall, we had very nice dives and great experiences. Our checkdive was totally unspectacular and there was hardly anything to see. This may also have been due to the dive site, which was changed again at the request of two guests because they were not satisfied with the entry at the originally planned dive site. The rest of the group agreed to the change and our guide made every effort, so there's nothing to complain about. It was just quiet and rather meditative, which wasn't so bad for a check dive, and with swell, entry and exit are exciting even when diving from land.
Due to the weather conditions, we were unfortunately unable to go out to Princess Alice Bank. Of course I would have liked it to be different, but safety comes first, so I also welcome this decision. I will never forget the surface interval we spent between two boat dives in the marina in Horta. The break was actually cooler than the dives themselves.
Of course, we also made trips to see the blue sharks. We had received a detailed and excellent briefing from Jana beforehand, who explained a lot and prepared us for the shark encounters. We had booked four dives in the Sharkweeks package, which seemed quite a lot at first, but each dive was different, beautiful and exciting. The waiting time for the first shark to appear was between five and 45 minutes. As already mentioned, anyone who is prone to seasickness should definitely take precautions here. This is everyone's own responsibility and you can't complain about it afterwards. While I didn't feel anything at all, another diver puked his guts out and didn't even take part in the dive itself.
We also did two skin dives with guide Seb, but we felt safer with Jana because she was much closer to the shark and was more careful to ensure that the animals didn't mistake us for prey when we ascended and got into the boat. She also explained more and was more approachable for the guests, whereas I had the impression that Seb was mainly performing for himself or had simply run out of steam shortly before the end of the season. But that could also have been a snapshot. In any case, big praise to Jana again!

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The dive center had a somewhat thinned out staff situation, so some things had to be improvised. However, this should be small negative assessment, but is rather to be understood as a compliment, because there all gave their best and so a nice diving vacation was spent.

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Princess Alice Bank (Mobularochen): excellent, but long journey (about 4 hours each way); shark dives (blue sharks and once briefly a mako shark): also good to very good, although exhausting due to the sometimes several hours of baiting; Baixas (underwater mountains) also interesting; land dives can be better omitted (in favor of the above alternatives).
Our dive guides were good. Underwater we felt well observed and safe at all times, even in difficult conditions (blue water, sometimes strong currents). The guides also took over many organizational or logistical tasks.
Service in the sense of help with dressing, getting in or out of the water and the like is practically non-existent compared to other dive destinations.
The space for hanging up jackets and suits in the base is limited, and there are also no facilities for locking away valuables and equipment.
The various boats were well suited for their respective purposes.

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Pico Sport - a German-run dive center

We had in the 14 days on site unfortunately not very much luck with the service, the chosen dive sites and the organization. May be due to the fact that we were on site during the peak season of divers. Our alleged "special group" was actually not a real special group, because we were almost always together with other divers. The organization was very poorly chosen. We sometimes only knew late in the evening what was planned for the next day and even then there were always changes. Sometimes we had whole days off, which we unfortunately learned about too late so that planning an alternative program on site was unfortunately impossible. On site it was pushed on the weather but it can not have been because we had the whole 14 days on site a really very good weather, little rain and hardly any wind. Dives would have been possible every day. Sometimes the guides just didn't show up because they didn't know they were scheduled to dive with us. Basically we always met an hour early because you always had to wait for someone from the base. It was also annoying that as a diver you had hardly any freedom when diving with the sharks or at Pricess Alice Reef. As divers with the appropriate experience, we still had to hang on the leash and had no possibility to move freely during the dive. Again, dive sites were chosen for "beginners" that were really not suitable for novice divers. This was a bit chaotic and not very well thought out, which is why the joy of the actual diving quickly evaporated. We can understand that with the appropriate current, the ropes provide safety in order not to lose the divers. But with appropriate experience of the individual divers and hardly any current, it should also be possible to sometimes not hang on the rope and be allowed to dive a little. Only the dive guide was allowed to move freely at any time.

For us personally it was a NO-GO that the dive boxes in the dive center were not "safe". I did not go home with my weight pockets, with which I had actually come... this has probably in between someone else clawed because I had in the end weight pockets of an "Andy" in my box and that were certainly not mine. But it didn't matter, because they fit into the jacket. Yousef his diving goggles were used. Footies disappeared, weights were exchanged. If you leave your things in a diving center, then you have to assume that they are kept safe there. Unfortunately, this was not the case there. Every diver had access to the boxes at any time and if something was missing from one box, it was taken from another box. Here there was no control by the base.

The speedboats we used for diving were in good condition. The Liveaboards on the other hand need urgent service!

The guides were always courteous and friendly, but from our point of view they had a much too hard job!!! Sometimes they started working at four in the morning and were back at ten in the evening. Others had to do up to 5 dives a day with different dive groups. We found the guides very tired and exhausted, which then confirmed their sick leave.

On the whole, as a diver there you have to rely on three existing dive centers. Either you accept the condition or you let it be, because there is no big choice at all. The owners of the bases probably know that, too.

What really pissed us off at the end was that the owner of the base really pushed us for the tip.

The stay on Pico Island was very nice, the dives were ok, but we are actually used to much better dive sites and a better service and therefore we have personally skipped many dives. This was our own decision and is not to be blamed on the dive center. For us it was an experience, a second time we would not book at the base, however.

In addition, it should be noted that we have unfortunately not noticed anything of the booked motto of the dive tour "Megalodon project, side by side with the national park". There were normal dives, at normally chosen dive sites and the theme "shark" was almost not included at all. A reason on our part why we had actually booked the trip. To learn more about sharks, their way of life and the work of the national park here.

The diving group under the leadership of Heinz Toperczer was great. We had a lot of fun on Pico Island despite all the circumstances :-)

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Great organization. The dive center is super, the team highly professional and very nice. The
Sharkschool was a lot of fun. The additional lectures by Lennart and Jan were another enrichment.

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Very Professional you are in very good hands there. It's Amazing

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The dive sites were a dream. (The highlight of this trip was the shark dive with up to 8 blue sharks) Since it was the end of the season, the visibility was no longer the best. Nevertheless we had caught the only week without storms and rain. I got along very well with the young Chew. (The boat took a bit of getting used to as it is quite small but in my eyes it was perfect despite the size and the lack of comfort. I would compare it to travelling in a motorhome or camper.
The food on the boat was always prepared with love by the guides. The climate on the boat was very relaxed. Since there is no dinner on the boat and you spend the night in the harbor except for one day. Accordingly, there was always a daily recommendation for a restaurant which was also reserved for a choice.
I can only recommend everyone to go to the Azores. In my eyes it is nicer than e.g. the Maldives even if there are no beaches and it is maybe not so warm. But you are there for diving and not to lie on the beach.

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Dive guide (Sebastian) very good.
Planning and communication insufficient. As a freediver you had again the feeling to be only a diver and guest of 2nd rank. Boats occupied by SCUBA divers, no other staff, ergo at best dive from shore.
Free dives (apnea) from the shore without special attraction and senseless (exception check dive).
Diving with blue sharks (Condor Banc) very good!!! More of it!
Princess Alice: disappointing. No mobulas - possibly due to same day tagging by scientists. The lack of communication about such plans is extremely unfortunate. It would surely be in the interests of scientists and the local organisers if such things were arranged.
The cabin boat would have had a toilet. But it was out of order at least from Wednesday to Monday. This is not possible (with guests who are on board for about 10 hours), such a malfunction must be corrected quickly.

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Because my luggage did not arrive with me and I had to fill out forms because of that.
Because of this I came a little later out of the airport. Unfortunately, there was no driver waiting for me. After some searching I drove at my own expense to the ferry, which I then missed.
I called Pico Sport to tell them that I would be late.
But I have not even received an apology for the fact that they have not waited for me.

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Highly competent, professional and dedicated, friendly guides. Top boat with compressor for the day trips - can also be used as a liveaboard for about 6 people. Dive equipment good, no NITROX. Big devil rays (mobula), nice UW scenery, otherwise few big fish in my 1 week.

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The dive sites were always very well selected according to the changeable weather. Blue sharks, mobulas, stingrays, huge schools of barracuda and great rock formations with the typical Atlantic creatures. At Wahlewaching some sperm whales!

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Pico Sport brings a lot of experience and is really interested in protecting the sharks. Everyone was really committed and also as a freediver you were in good hands.
And apnoea diving with blue sharks - simply indescribable!
Plus Princess Alice Bank with Mobulas, Barracudas, and and and.
The Azores are a really special place, but the conditions can change completely from day to day and you are in the middle of the Atlantic!

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Unbelievable diving experiences and interactions with blue sharks, mobula rays, tuna, baracudas and and and ...
Absolutely great troop, always reliable and organized contact persons, and above all: great attention to safety. Top!

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I was on the Narobla from August 8 to 15.
Skipper Emanuel and the guides Seb and Emi were excellent. All dive sites selected according to the external conditions, perfect spotting of whales and dolphins. Also with the shark dives no wishes remain open. The prediction about the conditions on Princess Alice were 100% correct.
Only the weather could put a damper on this tour.

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Great dive center and great people. Beautiful diving area for the North Atlantic. But I cannot recommend the Narobla 3. She should be overhauled.

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the dive sites around the island have not much to offer. However, the "dives" outside the island are the hammer (Princess Alice, Haituach sites). The infrastructure of the diving center would have to be modernized. There are no shady places and the places for the equipment should be extended and modernized. The Zodiacs which are used for shark dives unfortunately do not offer shade. This would be an advantage if you have to wait several hours for the sharks.

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I can only recommend Pico Sport, very nice and professional staff.

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