4 Stars

May - Sep

8 Hours + Stopover

Advanced

From £1495

Hotel Colombo

Close to a beautiful yellow sandy beach, one of the best in the Azores.

The Hotel Colombo is located on the Pedras de São Pedro near the entrance of Vila do Porto on the island of Santa Maria, the warmest of the Azorean islands on the south east of the archipelago. Whether you are looking for an adventure packed holiday or a combination of adventure and relaxation, here you find the ideal place for a pleasant stay. The beautiful swimming pool with a deck overlooking the sea awaits your company!

The hotel property has just 3 floors and 85 standard rooms, suites and apartments. The Hotel Colombo provides a very comfortable base for your stay on Santa Maria Island and thought has been given to the public areas and the location of the rooms to optimise peace and quiet for all guests.

The Haliotis Dive Centre is just a short drive from the hotel at the local marina. With daily pick up provided, getting to one of the 55 dive spots with caves, canyons, walls and reefs could not be easier. The highlight of the dives in this part of the Azores is the manta rays encounters as they are commonly seen from the surface to 50 metres.

When you are not exploring the waters around the island, you can enjoy a gym session, a massage, a Turkish bath or a dip in the jacuzzi with a refreshing drink.

Board Basis

Half Board Dive 10 dives, airport transfers, breakfast at the resort and lunch on the boat on diving days.
DOUBLE Room

Standard Rooms

There are 64 standard rooms with twin and some king size beds and the possibility of adding an extra bed for an adult or child.

  • Mini Bar
  • Hairdryer
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Satellite Channels
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Direct Dial Telephone
  • T.V.
Apartment Bedroom

Apartments

The Colombo Hotel has 3 and 4 bedroom apartments available. The apartments are a great choice for a group of divers or a family that wants to stay close to each other.

  • Mini Bar
  • Hairdryer
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Satellite Channels
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Direct Dial Telephone
  • T.V.

Map

Marcelina

Friday, 06 December 2013

Fabulous Fiji by Marcelina Jesus on Sport Diver Magazine

Lured by the promise of world-class reefs and adrenaline-fueled shark encounters Marcelina Jesus ventures to the wild islands of Fiji.

Fabulous Fiji by Marcelina Jesus on Sport Diver Magazine

Available Experiences

Itineraries available in this destination

Click the enquire button to make an enquiry for this resort or if you are interested in a bespoke itinerary. One of our experts will discuss the products available and create your personal itinerary.

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What Our Customers Have To Say

Reviews from our Clients, Journalists, Photo Pro's and our own Experts

Our reviews and blogs are an additional guide to evaluate if the holiday is exactly what you are looking for or not. Some love an Eco-Resort, some love air-con and a flat screen TV, we aim to ensure you get what you are looking for, at great value for money.

Click the enquire button to make an enquiry for this resort or if you are interested in a bespoke itinerary. One of our experts will discuss the products available and create your personal itinerary.

Enquire Now
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Haliotis Dive Centre

Hotel Colombo

The exceptional conditions of the Azores location, climate and currents provide unique conditions for diving with diverse species of underwater flora and fauna. Haliotis is the biggest dive centre on the island of Santa Maria with a passionate dive team on-site. Here you can find a range of courses and diving trips available including day trips to some of the most famous reserves close by such as “Formigas” and “Dollabarat” banks.

There are around 55 dive spots with caves, canyons, walls and reefs around Santa Maria Island with the possibility of diving with big species of fish including the majestic manta rays. All dives are operated from RIBs to dive sites that are close by or up to a range of 24 nautical miles for the more challenging off shore banks.

The dive centre is equipped with a full range of Aqua Lang dive equipment available for rental, a souvenir shop and a compressor room with air and nitrox fills.

PADI Open Water Diver (Inc Equipment)

This is the most popular dive program in the world! And can be your chance to have a lifetime of intense adventures.

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases:

Knowledge Development ( online, independent study or in a classroom) to understand basic principles of scuba diving
Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills
Open Water Dives to use your skills and explore!

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

The Advanced Open Water Diver program gives you the opportunity to take your diving skill to the next level through three new areas of diving.
You complete your Deep Dive, Underwater Navigation Dive, Night Dive and two other dives for a total of five to attain your Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

This certification includes five dives, including the Deep Diver, the Underwater Navigation Diver and three of the following: You’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three, for a total of five dives. During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time.

The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.

PADI ReActivate Scuba Refresher Program

Update your dive skills and knowledge with a quick scuba refresher from the PADI Open Water Diver Course before jumping back into the water.

Using ReActivate Touch (for tablets or mobile devices) or ReActivate Online (for your personal computer), you’ll immerse yourself in dive scenarios and make decisions that test your understanding of important dive safety concepts, dive planning essentials and problem management. Move through ReActivate at your own pace and delve deeper into topics when you need or want to.
In the water, your PADI Professional will help you regain comfort and confidence in scuba diving. You’ll practice a few safety-related skills and then go over anything you specifically want to review.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

This course is a subset of the PADI Open Water Diver course. If you're short on time but really want to become a diver, the PADI Scuba Diver rating might be right for you.

The PADI Scuba Diver course consists of three main phases:

PADI Open Water Referral

This is the most popular dive program in the world! And can be your chance to have a lifetime of intense adventures.

From the beginning to end of the course, you will learn the fundamentals of scuba diving, including areas such as dive equipment and techniques that will give you the confidence and skill to become a responsible diver.

You attain this rating by completing five pool dives and a number of knowledge development sessions with a final exam (which is not rocket science its just diving) and by completing four open water dives.

PADI Rescue Diver

Become a Rescue Diver. A great level to be. You will have the skills to aid your fellow divers in an emergency.

The PADI Rescue Diver course prepares you to deal with dive emergencies, minor and major, using a variety of techniques. Through knowledge development and rescue exercises, you learn what to look for and how to respond. During rescue scenarios, you put into practice your knowledge and skills. Topics include:

PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver

The most popular PADI specialty course. Scuba diving with enriched air nitrox gives you more no decompression time, especially on repetitive scuba dives.

You’ll learn why diving with air that has higher oxygen and lower nitrogen content gives you more bottom time, along with enriched air equipment considerations. During a practical session, and two optional (or required) scuba dives, you’ll: