Diving Princess Alice Bank: when to go and what it is really like

Is Princess Alice Bank worth diving now?

Princess Alice is an offshore seamount where Chilean devil rays circle divers in blue water. Tuna and jacks are common enough to matter; blue and mako sharks are bonuses. The boat ride is long and the weather can cancel it, so leave spare days.

When is the best time to dive Princess Alice Bank?

Go in July — September. This calendar does not reward shoulder season: those are the months I would actually spend the money on, not merely months when an operator can run a trip. The offshore run is long and can be cancelled even when the coast looks calm.

What will you actually see?

Mobula aggregations, Tuna, Blue-water seamount, Pelagic sharks are the reasons to make the trip. Wild encounters vary, but the ranking assumes the best months above rather than an average week across the year.

• Mobula aggregations
• Tuna
• Blue-water seamount
• Pelagic sharks

How difficult is the diving?

Advanced; 50 logged dives commonly required. The offshore run is long and can be cancelled even when the coast looks calm.

Trip format: Long-range day boat or expedition boat, depending on the operator.

Why is Princess Alice Bank ranked #14?

Princess Alice Bank still makes the top twenty, but it gives up some combination of reef condition, pelagic reliability or itinerary depth to the places above it.

The 8.5 score is one editorial opinion, not a visitor average. It weights sharks and other pelagics heavily, then asks whether the reef and the rest of the itinerary justify the flight.