Madeira, Portugal

This was our first dive trip outside of the Caribbean, and what made it even extra special was that it was our honeymoon! 💖 

How did we decide to visit Madeira? After all, it is not what I would call a typical diving destination. Eric was searching for less expensive locales on Google Flights and Madeira popped up as a reasonable option. My friend Emma had also visited Madeira on her honeymoon and gave great reviews. After doing some research ourselves on the diving possibilities, it was decided: Madeira here we come!

We left Chicago on Sunday and arrived in Madeira on Monday around noon after a short layover in Lisbon. We dove for four days, alternating between diving in Funchal and Ponta de São Lourenço. We dove with Azul Divers and had an overall great experience.

       

The diving here was definitely unique for us. The water was cooler, which meant limited corals, if any, and less overall fish. However, we saw lots of big fish - groupers and amber jacks, mostly - and quite a few octupuses. 

We preferred diving in Ponta de São Lourenço for multiple reasons: 

• We could park right across from the dive shop, so it was easier to unload our gear.

• We rode out to the dive sites on a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) which was more fun and catered to smaller dive groups. We also traveled back to the marina in between each dive, which allowed us to have a bathroom and snack break. 

• Although a farther drive from our accommodation (about 45 minutes), it was very scenic.

       

One of the dive sites out of Funchal was the Alfonso Cerqueira wreck, which we dove twice. It had been cleared for divers and offered several large swimthroughs, which was super cool. Diving in Funchal also meant we dove in the Garajau Marine Reserve, which had lots of large groupers that were not afraid of divers. 

       

However, the dive shop in Funchal was attached to a hotel/resort, which didn't allow visitor parking. Thus, Eric had to drop me off with the gear and then park about a 10-minute walk away in a paid parking garage. We then had to pack our dive gear in a milk crate and hop in the shop's van to shuttle over to the marina. The boat had a lot more people on it, typically two separate dive groups, and felt somewhat crowded. The dive sites near Funchal were frequented by other dive boats as well. In between morning and afternoon dives, there was not a very convenient place for us to eat our packed lunch of apples and peanut butter sandwiches... We definitely looked like bums. 

The rock formations underwater were super cool to explore. We had never dove anywhere quite like this before, as we are used to the shallow reefs and deep wall dives of the Caribbean. The water was colder than we are used to, at least when we dive in wet suits. We purchased 5mm wetsuits before this trip, and I'm glad we did. We definitely still felt chilled by the end of a 45-minute dive. 

       

One of the highlights of the trip was glimpsing one of the elusive monk seals. Ponta de São Lourenço is known for its population of endangered monk seals, of which there are only a few dozen, and it's rare to see them on a dive. Fortunately it was our lucky day! We managed to catch a glimpse of one off in the distance on our sixth dive of the trip. After our last dive in Funchal, while riding back to the marina on the boat, we also spotted a monk seal sleeping on the surface of the water. This definitely felt quite special. 

Site Overview

Location: Funchal and Ponta de São Lourenço, Madeira, Portugal

Fish Observed: Wrasse, Parrotfish, Damselfish, Barracuda, Triggerfish, Trumpetfish, Amber Jacks, Groupers, and more

Other Aquatic Life Observed: Octopuses, Eels, a Turtle, a Monk Seal (just a glimpse!)

Dive Log

Date: 16-19 September 2025

Number of Dives: 10

Average Dive Time: 48 minutes

Max Depth: 93 feet (28 meters)

Average Depth: 48 feet (15 meters)

Water Temperature: 73 ℉ (23 ℃)

Exposure Gear: Wet Suit (5mm)

As always, don't be afraid to dive in!

Rachel and Eric