Scuba Madeira
Dive site · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: Sea 0.3 m, Visibility about 25 m, Water 22 °C
Mon 2 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 85 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 23kn
- Air
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 34knboats in
- Air
- 18°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 180, good
- Mon 268, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 485, good
- Thu 584, good
- Fri 682, good
- Sat 777, good
- Sun 86, poor
- Mon 96, poor
- Tue 1064, good
The site in three facts
- Open Waterand up
- Water 22 °C5 mm wetsuit
- Faces Sswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 80, good | 0.7 m | 2 kn | 5kn | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 68, good | 0.4 m | 1 kn | 7kn | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 0.3 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 85, good | 0.3 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 84, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 9kn | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 82, good | 0.6 m | 6 kn | 23kn | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 4 kn | 17kn | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, poor | 1.2 m | 12 kn | 34knboats in | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, poor | 1.3 m | 12 kn | 32knboats in | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 0.8 m | 7 kn | 26kn | 19°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 06:08 +0.7 mLow 12:39 −0.6 mHigh 19:01 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:58 −0.5 mHigh 07:29 +0.7 mLow 14:08 −0.6 mHigh 20:28 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:28 −0.5 mHigh 08:51 +0.7 mLow 15:28 −0.7 mHigh 21:42 +0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Scuba Madeira on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Scuba Madeira
Live webcam
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Scuba Madeira
It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces S: swell from the S reaches it, and wind from the N blows out to sea. 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.2 km away. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 24°C in September, its warmest (5 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Funchal. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 2 climbing areas.
- What it is No source states what kind of site it is.
- How deep No source states how deep it goes.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.2 km away.
Water about 22°C: 5 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 25 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jun, Jul, Aug and Oct (over 30 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$858–US$1,650 each
about US$858–US$1,650 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$301 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Total | about US$858–US$1,650 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Funchal
4 min by car · 175 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Funchal its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 40m
About 17h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Funchal · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Funchal · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Cipreia Dive Club Madeira 0.2 km
Madeira Dive Point 1.0 km
Mero Diving Center 7.4 km
Anthia Diving Center Madeira 18 km
Diving Center Calheta 25 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 25 m, about usual for the month (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.