Dive Holiday and Trips on Madeira

Madeira has an unique and beautiful underwater world. This combined with the mild temperatures and clear water makes Madeira a true diver's paradise. Madeira has a diverse marine life, caves, coral, shipwrecks and underwater nature reserves. On this page you can read more about diving in Madeira. There are several tour operators who offer diving holidays to Madeira.  

Diving Holiday

For visitors who really want to immerse themselves into diving during their stay in Madeira, it is recommended to arrange all the details even before getting on the plane and travelling to this beautiful island. Packaged deals for diving are more convenient especially for first time divers. This already includes diving fee, boat fees, payment for the dive guide, training and others. Basic diving packages usually includes, 7 days and 7 nights of stay in a hotel with 5 diving days, though some packages include more days, depending on the preference of the student. Guests can choose whether they want to avail boat dives with tanks and weights or an actual beginner’s course. For people who go through the beginner’s course, this can only take about 4 to 5 days/sessions. At the end of the course, the student will be entitled for a PADI or SSI license.

Diving Classes

Even people who have never tried diving before can learn how it is done right in this island. There are diving centers which offer classes and training for beginners. Bubblemaker courses are offered for kids. The minimum age is 8 years old. They would already be able to go as deep as 2 meters after the course but this depth is already the maximum. For older kids (10 and up) as well as adults who are new into scuba diving, there are other courses which will introduce them to scuba diving. Of course, the level would depend on one’s skills and experience. It would take several courses before becoming a master diver. The courses could range from 1-2 hours up to 3-5 days. This will depend on the type of course that the student would enroll into.

Diving Spots

There are numerous spots within Madeira which are frequented by divers. Each location will open up wondrous things which can only be seen when one is immersed into the ocean.

The Baracudareef is among the more popular options. This location is filled with a lot of Stingrays, Morays, Congas, Mackerel, Trigger Fish and of course, Barracudas. There is also the Garajau Marine Reserve. The diving spot can be reached by swimming a few meters off the shore or riding a small boat. This is a location where schools of various fish species can be seen. Since a lot of divers go here, the fishes are already accustomed to the bubbles from their tanks so they tend to come closer too.

For the more professional divers, places like Ponta de Sao and Porto Santo would be appropriate. In Ponta de Sao, divers can go as far as 50 meters deep. On the other hand, Porto Santo offers much more places to explore. There are several diving spots within Porto Santo. Some are about 15 to 20 meters deep while others go as far as 50 to 70 meters deep. Of course, reaching this much depth requires higher level of diving skills and even a license.

Shipwreck Diving

Aside from seeing various species of fish and sea creatures, exploring caves, looking at reefs or taking pictures of underwater rock formation, another activity which can be done is shipwreck diving.      

There are numerous shipwrecks underneath the Madeira waters. Some are sunk by unfortunate accidents while others were due to historical battles. One example is the Bowbelle. This went under the ocean due to an accident which occurred in 1989. It led to the death of 51 people. Today, this serves as habitat for fishes and other creatures. Divers also explore the swim-through spaces in this sunken ship. Another ship which is found at the bottom of the Madeira ocean floor is the Bom Rei. This also sank because of an accident. Divers find the spot very interesting because it is where a lot of eels can be seen swimming around.