Is Madeira good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 3 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Reis Magos, Baixa do Carneiro (Lido) and Quinta do Lorde. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Madeira?

The water is usually between 17 °C and 25 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Madeira?

Divers regularly see stingrays, schooling pelagics, amberjacks, barracuda, garden eels and groupers.

Madeira

Diving in Portugal

11 documented dive sites, 3 of them for Open Water divers. Known for stingrays, schooling pelagics and amberjacks.

Best months: Sep–Oct
Water: 17–25 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: FNC

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Madeira in October

Best season

Sea: 24 °C; at the surface
Air: 25 °C; 19 °C at night
Rain: 80 mm; average for the year
Wind: 9 km/h; on average

Exposure suit: 3 mm full suit · if you feel the cold: 5 mm full suit. How we choose

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Compare with another destination

Dived year-round; September–October is the recommended time (water 17 °C in winter to 25 °C in summer).

Source: divernet.com

Dive sites in Madeira

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Baixa de Santa Catarina and Badejeira (both to 40 m) are listed for Advanced Open Water divers; Badejeira is a demanding dive due to strong currents.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m3 sites

Reef

down to 16 m

Reis Magos

Sheltered, shallow rocky dive from 6 to 16 m, recommended for night dives and one of the few known places to see seahorses.

Open Water
Seahorses

Reef

down to 18 m

Baixa do Carneiro (Lido)

Funchal home reef about 25 m from the Lido sea stairs, from 5 to 18 m, for all levels of divers.

Open Water

Reef

down to 18 m

Quinta do Lorde

Simple beginner dive that starts on a rocky bottom at 5 m next to the harbour, to a maximum of 18 m.

Open Water

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m4 sites

Wall

down to 40 m

Baixa de Santa Catarina

Black-coral wall about 500 m offshore, from 13 to 40 m, with pelagics and large rays on the sand.

Advanced
Rays

Reef

down to 24 m

Arena

Site with its top at 7 m and bottom at 16 m, its surrounding sand home to hundreds of garden eels.

Advanced
Garden eels

Wreck

down to 30 m

Corveta General Pereira d'Eça

Ex-navy corvette sunk off Porto Santo in 2016, sitting upright in the marine park area at a max depth of 30 m.

Advanced

down to 30 m

Garajau (Praia do Garajau)

Garajau dive where friendly dusky groupers (meros) greet divers, to a maximum of 30 m.

Advanced
Mobula rays

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m4 sites

Wreck

down to 33 m

Corveta Afonso Cerqueira

85 m former warship sunk in 2018 south of Cabo Girão, easily reached by boat, with groupers and anemones.

Experienced
Groupers

down to 40 m

Badejeira

Reef outside the lighthouse, from 3 to 40 m, with the chance of large pelagics.

Experienced
Schooling pelagics

Wreck

down to 32 m

Bowbelle

The dredger Bowbelle lies upright and reasonably intact off Ponta do Sol, to a max depth of 32 m.

Experienced

Wreck

down to 34 m

Madeirense

70 m cargo ship that sank in 2000 off Porto Santo, now broken in two to a max depth of 34 m.

Experienced

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Reported here, season not documented yet:

Stingrays
Schooling pelagics
Amberjacks
Barracuda
Garden eels
Groupers
Moray eels
Manta rays
Seals
Turtles
Mobula rays
Seahorses

Where is Madeira?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Madeira (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: FNC

Madeira: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Madeira?: The best months to dive Madeira are Sep–Oct. Dived year-round; September–October is the recommended time (water 17 °C in winter to 25 °C in summer).
Is Madeira good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 3 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Reis Magos, Baixa do Carneiro (Lido) and Quinta do Lorde. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Madeira?: The water is usually between 17 °C and 25 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Madeira?: Divers regularly see stingrays, schooling pelagics, amberjacks, barracuda, garden eels and groupers.
How do you dive Madeira?: The nearest airport is FNC.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash