Portugal’s Rather Unknown Scuba Diving Spots
Not many think about scuba diving when they visit Portugal but the truth is that the country features so many really attractive dive spots that you will surely love as a scuba diver. While you surely do not go to Portugal solely for the diving opportunities, you will want to indulge yourself with a great dive so that your vacation will be complete.
Below you can find the best scuba diving places in Portugal, in no particular order. Learn more about them and see if they are what you would love.
Remember that you want to talk with the dive operators ahead of diving. This is because there are some situations in which diving is difficult because of currents and you may need to know some extra things before hitting the water.
Algarve Scuba Diving
The Algarve coastline offers a tremendous background to a memorable holiday. The underwater world includes reef diving and various different wrecks and caves that you can explore. There are currently many recommended dive centers around Lagos, Sagres, Praia da Rocha, Tavira and Praia da Luz.
The top Algarve diving sites include Ancao artificial reef, Armacao de Pera, porto de Mos, Pedra de Ancora and Pedra da Torre. Pedra de Ancorra is one that is highly popular among scuba divers from all around the world. Make sure that you ask about the wrecks that are sometimes available and that you can see together with the artificial reef that is created.
Azores Scuba Diving
Azores offers a truly breathtaking experience for holidays and divers. There is a sense of tranquility and freedom as soon as you arrive in the region. You will love the scuba diving experience here because of the reefs and you have the possibility of seeing turtles, dolphins and even whales. The waters are always of a mild temperature so you will be able to see Atlantic and tropical colorful fish. Pelagic fish and colorful reef life bring in tourists from all around the world, especially between May and October.
Northern Portugal Scuba Diving
Northern Portugal is mainly popular among scuba divers because of different wrecks that can be visited. This includes:
- Veronese
- Tiber
- Vila do Porto
- Barbosa
- Kassamba
- Jakob Maersk
- Batelao
- Navio do Norte
- Brenha
There are various dive sites in Northern Portugal that sees sea beds teeming with life, offering a very interesting mix of octopus, eels, molluscs, crustaceans, anemones and colorful fish.
Madeira Scuba Diving
Madeira is a little piece of a scuba diver’s paradise. The sub tropical climate brings in great vegetation and you will love the floating gardens that you will see here. When underwater, you will be able to explore plenty of crevices, caves, gullies and reefs. You will be able to see pelagic and reef fish. This includes octopus, cuttlefish, moray eels, trigger fish, sea urchins, tuna, tarpons, barracudas, puffer fish and parrot fish. If you are lucky enough, you may end up viewing a manta ray, a shark, a whale or a dolphin during their travels towards Northern Atlantic from Africa.
