Madeira diving sites rated as highly as Red Sea diving holidays

Scuba diving holidays are often taken by travellers in the popular destination like the Red Sea or the Caribbean but the Island of Madeira has become a top contender over recent years with its warm crystal clear Mediterranean waters and thriving marine activity.

The waters surrounding the island range between 18 and 23°C and are full of historic diving sites and marine species including monkfish, dolphins, barracudas, rays, manta rays, congor eels, moral eels, sea urchins and sea horses.

Credit to diverjon, on Flickr

Ex-diving instructor Dave, who enjoys annual scuba diving holidays in Madeira explained: "You have to look for sea life, it's shyer than that of the Red Sea, it doesn't come out and greet you, you have to find it but if you're prepared to take the trouble you'll find the rock walls teeming with sea life."

Visibility is generally good, particularly during the summer, and the all year round warm climate makes it a popular destination for diving holidays in the Mediterranean.

Diving sites around the island include Club Naval with numerous canyons; Wreck Pronto which lies 35 metres deep and attracts the big fish; Wreck Bowbelle, a 90 metre long sunken vessel which sits upright 30 metres underwater and once worked as a sand dredger around Madeira; Garajau, a large thriving site with numerous species of fish; T-Riff, a 12-30 metre long reef which is home to schools of barracudas, manta rays, and moray eels; and Machico which offers a unique 40 metre drop off and black coral.

Credit to  SBrinn, on Flickr.

Smaller islands surrounding Madeira also offer a number of wreck and sites for divers including Porto Santo, with crystal clear waters and the "O Madeirense" which is the only ship to be sunken in the Portuguese waters for the purpose of diving; Desertas, home to a Maritime Reserve and rare monk seals, but permission to dive must be granted by the authorities; and the Selvegans which feature beautiful underwater fauna and flora.

With a mild all year round climate and water temperature between 18 and 23 degrees centigrade, more travellers are choosing to take their scuba diving holidays on the beautiful island of Madeira in the Mediterranean ocean.