Glass Bottom Boat Tour & Snorkeling in São Miguel, Azores
Recommended by 94% of travelers
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Sao Miguel, Portugal
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Head out by glass-bottom boat to discover the sea life and secluded swimming spots around the tiny island of Vila Franca do Campo. You'll discover the underwater world deep in the sea of the Azores archipelago from the comfort of the boat. And for those who do want to get wet, there are stops to swim and snorkel, too.
- Learn about the flora and fauna of the island from an onboard guide
- Gaze through the boat's glass bottom to admire the sea life
- Use provided snorkel equipment to explore beneath the waves
- Make use of an on-board restroom as you cruise around the coast
What's Included
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Private transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- OceanEye AzoresR. da Marina 11, 9680-187 Vila Franca Do Campo, Portugal
Meet us at OceanEye Azores at Vila Franca do Campo Marina. Put "OceanEye Azores" into your GPS to find us easily. We are in front of a ramp with red kayaks. You must arrive at our shop half an hour in advance to check in. We are not responsible for late arrivals, you can miss the boat departure.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Islet of Vila Franca do Campo
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Please indicate your date of arrival and departure upon booking. (NOTE: We do not offer pick up and drop off)
- If you have more than 15 persons in a booking, you can do a second booking to make it to 20 people
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Michele_O
Edmundo and Alex were fantastic! They gave us so much information, spent a lot of time showing us the wildlife and telling us about the island. We had 20+ minutes of snorkeling and each passenger was given time to drive the boat.
Reviews
4.8
based on 269 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Robert_C, Jul 2026
Staff were great but boat was crowded and the trip there and back was not pleasant.
Snorkelling was good fun.
Chris_S, Jun 2026
A great experience for three generations of our family. The crew and staff were both knowledgeable and friendly. The tour around the island and the views of marine life through the glass bottom boat are amazing. The snorkeling was brilliant, plenty of fish and all equipment provided. I would highly recommend.
Christopher_C, Jun 2026
Incredible experience with the glass bottom boat tour. Highly recommend to anyone looking for an island adventure. Snorkeling was amazing. Wonderful crew and Captain.
Marvin_M, Jun 2026
tldr - you'll travel a short distance off the coast to reach an island with protected marine life. The boat circles the island, and you'll see a variety of wildlife through the glass bottom. Finally, you're given the opportunity to put on a wet suit and snorkel around the island for a closer view.
We got to see quite a lot of wildlife during this tour. The marine specialist keeps visual aids so you can see images of all the different kinds of fish you may come across. Personally though I think it's better to just enjoy the view. The specialist will also share some interesting stories about the island, like an old coming of age ritual that involved using a rather precariously looking rock formation to cross a chasm.
Snorkeling can be quite a challenge if you don't have prior experience. The water is still cold in June, and I was the only one in my family who participated. I'm very comfortable swimming laps in a pool, but I struggled with snorkeling, particularly breathing only through my mouthpiece. Still, if you are comfortable with snorkeling then you'll be treated to some spectacular views. There are quite a few fish that like to hide in crevices around the island and you'll need to dive into the water to catch them. A few of the more experienced divers also had photographs taken of them underneath the glass bottom.
The staff are superb. The captain is clearly a people person, and regularly took time to get to know all of us. He sensed my kids were a bit nervous going into this ride and made sure to check in with us. On our way back to the port he let my daughter navigate the boat up until we were supposed to dock. She was absolutely thrilled to take the wheel, and I'm sure it ended up being one of her favorite memories of the trip.
Once we returned to port the captain treated us to a quick drink in celebration of our journey. Adults get a small glass of port, children a glass of Kima passionfruit soda. In hindsight I would probably wait for my kids to be older before going on this experience, but it was certainly a great one!
Stacy, Apr 2026
Outstanding! Very knowledgeable and personable crew. 100% satisfaction. Thank you very much! From a New Hampshire USA family.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
We’re delighted to hear you had such a great experience and that our crew made it both informative and enjoyable. It means a lot to us to know you left 100% satisfied.
A special thank you to your family for joining us all the way from New Hampshire. We truly appreciate it! We hope to welcome you back to the Azores someday.
Oliver_S, Oct 2025
Knowledgable staff, good amounts of time snorkeling and fun boat journey. Even a drop of port at the end.
Eelke_S, Oct 2025
It was a very beautiful trip with the most friendly staff. A big thank you to Paula and Edmundo for the amazing afternoon!
Miranda_T, Oct 2025
Great captain! He was so funny and personable and made sure to talk to everyone on the trip. The islet is beautiful and we would definitely recommend this company!
Lauren_L, Oct 2025
Edmundo and his team should win an award for how nice they are. What tour do you get a boat captain AND a marine biologist to help you understand what you are truly seeing! His entire team and setup are the best. Seeing the inlet up close was so beautiful and teaming with sealife.
isabelle_h, Sep 2025
It wasn’t my favourite activity. We went around the islet. We went snorkeling for quite a while but we were expecting to see much more . There was too many people on the boat.
Sarah_K, Sep 2025
This was a very special ride for anyone interested in marine life! It was very fun and educational as well. As other reviews say this is not a 2 hour excursion so be prepared to be out for roughly 3.5 hours. As long as you go into the ride with that in mind you should have a wonderful time!
THERESA_D, Sep 2025
Alex was great. He told us about the history and was specific on all things that we were doing. Tour was longer than anticipated but overall was good.
Claudia_C, Sep 2025
Alex was a great navigator and educated us on the history of the land as well as the marine life we were able to see.
Rita_A, Sep 2025
The trip was fantastic with much good energy and joy among all passengers, as a result of captain edmundo and eduardo friendliness and good vibes! The captain focuses on the enjoyment of the passengers so much so that there is really no time limit for the snorkelling!! We returned much later than expected since we only got out of the water when we felt like it! They were both realy keen for us to take the most of the experience. We sang and danced on the boat and had a nice drink on shore to close the trip! Very fun and chilled!
Amanda_C, Aug 2025
Mixed review. Unfortunately, did not meet expectations. There were far too many people crammed on the boat.
Everyone was advised that you wouldn’t see much/ it would be hot and uncomfortable to stay seating in the area with the glass bottom while making our way to our destination, yet there was not enough space for everyone out on the exterior deck. It was indeed very hot and stuffy inside near the glass bottom. There were fans that were not put on.
With too many people, it also made the start of the snorkeling evolution quite chaotic - with everyone crammed and stepping on each other while attempting to get fins and snorkels.
The snorkeling was definitely the highlight of the excursion but should be noted it is really only suitable for stronger swimmers. We saw a lot of sea life and swimming around the island was exciting.
That being said, our captain and marine biologist were quite nice and informative.
Thomas_D, Jul 2025
Great experience for the kids. Everything was great from start to finish. All equipment that we needed was provided by oceaneye.
Veta_A, Jul 2025
The island we went to was so beautiful and the fish were so beautiful and easy to find. The only part of the experience that I didn’t like was how many people were on the boat at the same time. It made the boat feel very small. I got a little seasick as well when I was waiting on the boat for more than 45 minutes for everyone else to finish snorkeling. There is no time limit on snorkeling so if you are too cold and get out of the water sooner than others you just have to wait until they decide they’re done.
Michele_O, Jul 2025
Edmundo and Alex were fantastic! They gave us so much information, spent a lot of time showing us the wildlife and telling us about the island. We had 20+ minutes of snorkeling and each passenger was given time to drive the boat.
Kelly_H, Jul 2025
We took this lovely boat tour the other day with our kids ages 8 and 11, and my husband's parents who are 70. We all enjoyed the close up view of Vila Franca do Campo. The kids were very interested in the glass bottom of the boat (not a ton of fish to be seen on the day we were out, but they didn't mind). That area also provided a good spot to stay dry since it was a rough day. Our favorite part was the snorkeling. We saw lots of fish and enjoyed the swim. Our boat driver and marine biologist were both super nice and told us a lot about the fish and the area. For planning purposes, we found that most tours on the island (this one included) were not on strict time schedules. It started on time, but the time involved was somewhat dependent on how long people wanted to snorkel etc, so just plan for some extra time to enjoy!
AnneBlyth_O, Jul 2025
This is really just a very long boat ride. Not ideal for kids. Best for adults that want a pretty, relaxing day on the water. Saw a few dolphins but overall too long and too slow.
Dina_E, Jul 2025
Bare in mind it is more than 2 hours if you have public transportation to catch but it worth the extra time
Azucena_R, Jun 2025
The water is quite cold to stay long inside. It is not allowed to go inside the inner lake. All the trip is atound the islet.
The experience with the crew was perfect. They are very friendly an provides lot of information, not only about fishes and the islet, but also about history of the Azores islands.
Nadine_C, May 2025
Fun boat trip and snorkelling experience! The skipper and tour guide were super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.
Sergey_S, May 2025
This is a very special tour provided by a dedicated, friendly and professional team: you see the famous volcanic islet from a glass-bottom boat and then snorkel with all the fish by the islet. It is a nice and well-organized adventure in a company of amazing people.
Casey_a, May 2025
What an amazing experience! The captain and Erica did a wonderful job partnering on the journey we took out to go snorkeling. We were provided wetsuits upon arrival which was very useful considering the water was around 17 degrees. We learned a lot about the town and island history as well as about the fish, fauna, and birds that inhabit the area.
Our snorkeling adventure was a blast! We saw lots of fish on the glass bottom boat tour then saw them up close when we were actually in the water. Plenty of time to swim around and see everything. Never felt rushed to get back on the boat.
Once back on land, we shared a shot of very good wine with the captain and talked a bit more about our experiences. Genuinely felt like the captain and Erica were appreciative of our patronage. One of the rare times in my life when I really felt like I was treated like a local.
Truly amazingly warm and lovely experience from beginning to end. Obrigado!
GiuliaClaudia_M, Apr 2025
We loved it, we enjoyed the snorkeling and saw a lot of animals, and the tour with the boat was also very nice.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the the boat tour and the snorkeling with all the marine life. It was a pleasure having you with us!
Christos_K, Oct 2024
Great expérience ! We had a very nice view through the glass floor, and the snorkeling expérience was amazing ! Special thanks to the staff which is so kind and friendly ! We really recommend this tour :)
Catherine_H, Oct 2024
Snorkeling was AWESOME!!! We also enjoyed looking through the bottom of the boat, but would have been happy to spend less time on that part
Daniel_J, Sep 2024
More than a glass bottom boat ride, epic snorkeling. Captain is an awesome character. You must do this!
Dominique_R, Sep 2024
We did this tour with our 7 month old and the guides were great! The owner went out of his way to make sure we had a great snorkelling experience.
From $58.19
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Glass Bottom Boat Tour & Snorkeling in São Miguel, Azores
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