Madeira snorkeling and diving

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Visitors looking at the clear water off Funchal usually ask where they can see under it. Madeira snorkeling centres on one place, the Garajau Partial Nature Reserve, just east of the city: 376 ha of protected sea, created in 1986 as the first exclusively marine reserve in Portugal, where the water is clear enough for divers to see life at more than 20 m.

Fourteen snorkelling, diving and paddling trips leave from Funchal. The most reviewed is a 3-hour kayak and snorkel trip from the CR7 statue to the Garajau reserve, rated 4.87 from 893 reviews. Others snorkel from the shore at a hotel dive centre, take certified divers into the reserve, or combine a paddleboard or a boat with a swim.

The sea is warmest in September, at about 22.9 °C, and above 20 °C from June to November.

Diving

The common mistake is to assume diving means a long boat trip. The best site is minutes from the city.

Madeira scuba diving from Funchal is mostly in and around the Garajau reserve. It runs from Ponta do Lazareto to Ponta da Oliveira, about six miles of coast, from the high-tide line out to the 50 m depth line, and it was created to stop the sea bed turning into a desert. A dive for certified divers in the reserve, from a dive centre in Funchal, takes 2 hours 30 minutes and is rated 4.85.

At Garajau itself, the beach at the foot of the Cristo Rei, reached by a cable car that opened in 2007, has a diving centre, with toilets, changing rooms, a first-aid post and a snack bar.

For a first try, ask the dive centres about introductory dives; for qualified divers, bring your certification card. The reserve's rules protect the sea bed, so follow the guide's briefing on what can and cannot be touched.

The Garajau beach is reached by a cable car that opened in 2007 and hosts a diving centre.

Where to snorkel

Visitors often snorkel off the nearest ladder and see little. A few spots are worth the trip.

The Madeira snorkeling spots with the most to see start with the Garajau reserve, 8.9 km from Funchal, about 12 minutes by road, with its beach reached by cable car. In Funchal, the dive centre inside the Pestana Carlton hotel, reached by two lifts down to sea level, runs a self-guided shore snorkel after a site briefing, with gear, a lesson, a changing room and a shower.

On the north coast, the Clube Naval do Seixal pools rent kayaks and diving gear, and the Porto Moniz lava pools, €3, are sheltered sea water for a first swim with a mask.

In the east, a boat trip to the Ponta de São Lourenço adds a snorkelling stop, 2 hours 30 minutes from Funchal. And in Funchal, the Doca do Cavacas, €6, is a complex of volcanic pools with access to the sea.

The Garajau reserve

People often go to Garajau for the statue and never look at the water. The reserve is the reason to go.

The Garajau marine reserve snorkeling Madeira visitors do is mostly by kayak: two trips, both meeting in Funchal, kayak in the reserve and stop to snorkel. The most reviewed, 3 hours, meets at the CR7 statue by the museum and includes a mask, water and a waterproof phone case; the other, also 3 hours, includes mask and snorkel, life jackets and dry bags, in small groups.

The reserve was proposed by a group of divers, and it was the first exclusively marine reserve in Portugal. Its water is clear enough to see life at more than 20 m.

Above it, the Cristo Rei statue of 1927 stands on the headland, and an e-bike ride of 3 hours from Funchal goes to the statue along the coast. The Santa Cruz guide covers Garajau and Caniço.

Choosing a trip

The mistake is to choose by the photograph. Choose by how you want to reach the water.

A Madeira snorkeling tour by kayak suits swimmers who are fit enough to paddle for part of 3 hours; the kayak trips are not suitable for non-swimmers or people with a low level of fitness, and one excludes children under 8. The shore snorkel from the hotel dive centre, about 2 hours, suits beginners, with a lesson first. A paddleboard and snorkel trip, private, takes 1 hour 30 minutes, and a private boat with snorkelling and paddleboards takes up to 11 people for 3 hours.

All 14 trips can be cancelled free of charge within their window, and the guides speak English and Portuguese on all of them, with Spanish on six.

Book a calm day: swell on the south coast makes both paddling and snorkelling harder.

The sea, and what to bring

People often plan snorkelling for June and find the water cool. It warms through the summer.

Off Funchal, the sea is at its coolest in March, at about 17.6 °C, reaches 20.1 °C in June and 22.6 °C in August, and peaks at about 22.9 °C in September, staying above 22 °C in October. A wetsuit makes a longer swim comfortable outside the warmest months.

Bring swimwear, a towel, sun cream and water; the trips supply the mask and snorkel, and the kayak trips a life jacket and a dry bag. Divers should leave time after a dive before flying or driving up to the peaks.

The 2026 Blue Flag list names the supervised bathing areas, and Visit Madeira lists the dive centres.

Common questions

Where is the best snorkelling in Madeira?

The Garajau marine reserve, just east of Funchal, where the water is clear enough to see life at more than 20 m.

Can beginners snorkel in Funchal?

Yes: a shore snorkel from a hotel dive centre in Funchal starts with a lesson and a briefing.

Is there scuba diving in Madeira?

Yes, mostly in and around the Garajau reserve; a dive for certified divers from Funchal takes 2 hours 30 minutes.

When is the sea warmest for snorkelling?

In September, at about 22.9 °C; it stays above 20 °C from June to November.