Azores: Freedive the Atlantic Blue

Pico, Azores · Portugal · Freediving · Yoga · Breath Work · Wildlife

Azores: Freedive the Atlantic Blue

38.4675° N, 28.4000° W

Seven days of deep, quiet water off Pico — guided lines, big-animal encounters, daily yoga and breath work, and food cooked from the island.

There is a kind of blue you only find off a volcanic island. Pico drops away to thousands of metres just a short boat ride from shore. The water is clear, the visibility regularly tops 30 metres, and the Atlantic here is alive with bait, jacks, pilot whales, dolphins, mantas and the occasional curious mola. This is a week built around one idea: spend as much time as possible in the water, in the right state of mind to enjoy it. Mornings open on the deck with yoga and breath work — pranayama, CO2 and O2 tables, mobility for the diaphragm and ribs. Then we head out by RIB to a hand-picked line site, drop the bottom plate, and dive. Afternoons are for fun dives, wildlife encounters, or shore sessions on technique. Evenings are slow — long meals on the terrace, debriefs, stargazing. Guided by freediving instructor Marcelo Gordon (AIDA / Molchanovs) and trip founder James, the group stays small — eight divers, two instructors, two safeties on every line. Whether you are pushing past 30 metres or working on your first comfortable 15, the week meets you where you are.
A freediver descending along a weighted line into deep blue Atlantic water
The line

Deep water, a minute from shore

Pico's underwater topography drops away fast — within minutes of leaving the harbour we're over 100m of clear blue Atlantic. We set the line in calm sheltered water, with two safety divers on every descent. Whether your target is 15m or 50m, the coaching is one-on-one and the progression is yours.

Pilot whales swimming near a freediver in deep blue water
Big-animal encounters

Pilot whales, dolphins, mobulas

Pico sits on one of the richest cetacean corridors in the North Atlantic. Pilot whales, common and bottlenose dolphins, and — if the offshore day runs — schooling mobula rays at Princess Alice Bank. Every encounter is on the animals' terms, on a single breath, in silence.

Two people practicing yoga on a wooden deck overlooking the Atlantic at sunrise
Yoga & breath work

The other half of freediving

Daily yoga and pranayama on the deck — diaphragm mobility, ribcage flexibility, CO2 and O2 tolerance, and the simple discipline of slowing down. By mid-week the difference at depth is impossible to miss: longer relaxation phase, cleaner equalisation, more dive in every dive.

A small RIB heading out to sea at sunrise with Pico volcano in the distance
The boat & the island

Small group, slow days

A fast RIB for daily line sessions and a larger boat for the offshore day. Back on land: a cliffside house with eight beds, a cook working with what the island grows, and evenings on the terrace under one of Europe's darkest skies. Eight divers max — no crowd, no queue at the line.

Guided by

Your instructor

This week is led by freediving instructor Marcelo Gordon. Safety is the spine of everything we do — every dive is supervised one-up-one-down, with O2 and emergency protocols on the boat at all times.

Marcelo Gordon

Lead Freediving Instructor

Marcelo Gordon

A lifelong waterman with more than a decade of teaching across the Atlantic and Pacific, Marcelo guides every session with a calm, methodical approach. His focus: clean technique, conservative depth progression, and one-up-one-down safety on every dive.

  • · AIDA / Molchanovs Instructor
  • · Advanced Wilderness First Responder
  • · Boat captain · O2 provider

Day by day

  1. Day 01

    Arrive · Welcome on Pico

    Pickup from Pico airport. Move into the cliffside house, equipment check, dietary chat with the cook, and a welcome dinner of fresh-caught fish and Pico wine.

  2. Day 02

    Recalibrate · Pool & Theory

    Morning yoga and breath work. Pool session for static and dynamic work, equalisation refresh. Afternoon orientation snorkel from a black-sand cove.

  3. Day 03

    First Lines

    RIB out at sunrise to a sheltered drop-off. Guided line dives to working depth, one-on-one coaching, video review back at the house.

  4. Day 04

    Big Blue Day

    Long boat day along Pico's southern coast searching for pilot whales, common and bottlenose dolphins. Drift sessions in 1000m+ of water.

  5. Day 05

    Depth & Technique

    Morning breath work focused on relaxation. Two-line session with personal targets. Afternoon yoga, massage option, optional sauna.

  6. Day 06

    Princess Alice Bank

    Weather-permitting full-day offshore trip to the legendary seamount — schooling mobula rays, big pelagics, the bluest water of the week.

  7. Day 07

    Closing · Last Dive · Home

    Sunrise yoga, a final relaxed session in the water, brunch on the terrace, and transfers to the airport by early afternoon.

Included

  • · Six nights shared accommodation in a cliffside house with ocean views
  • · All meals — breakfast, lunch, dinner — cooked on-site with local produce
  • · Six guided freediving sessions with Marcelo Gordon and James
  • · Daily yoga and breath work
  • · All boat charters, including offshore day (weather permitting)
  • · Safety divers, lines, lanyards, surface buoys, oxygen on every dive
  • · Airport transfers on Pico

Not included

  • · International flights to Pico (PIX) or São Miguel (PDL)
  • · Travel and dive insurance covering freediving to your target depth (mandatory)
  • · Personal freediving equipment — wetsuit, mask, fins, weights, computer
  • · Alcoholic drinks beyond what is served with dinner
  • · Optional spa treatments and massages

Meeting point

Pico Airport (PIX), Azores — arrival day pickup included.

Fitness & medical

Freediving is a breath-hold sport with real risks. You must be in good cardiovascular and respiratory health, free of conditions that affect equalisation or consciousness, and certified to or working towards the depths you intend to dive. A specific freediving medical questionnaire is part of the booking step.

Full medical information →

8 spots remaining

Ready to join this expedition?

SEP 01 — SEP 07 · 2026 · 7 days · $3,490 per person · max 8 guests

Book this expedition