Garajau Natural Reserve
Madeira · Portugal
Portugal's oldest marine protected area drapes along Madeira's southern cliffs, where barracuda school in silver curtains above meadows of sea grass and common stingrays rest half-buried in sandy lanes between boulders. Dense aggregations of Mediterranean moray eels occupy every crevice of the basalt reef, while Atlantic trumpet fish drift vertically among sea fans waiting to ambush wrasse. The reserve's strict no-take status since 1986 has produced fish biomass that rivals open-ocean seamounts, making each dive feel like an encounter with a genuinely wild Atlantic reef.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 35 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually still
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 35 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
17 to 25°C
3mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Madeiran Chaffinch
Last confirmed Jul 7, 2026 · 503 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Island Canary
Last confirmed Jul 4, 2026 · 293 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Eurasian Kestrel
Last confirmed Jul 7, 2026 · 296 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Atlantic Trumpet Fish
Last confirmed Jun 30, 2026 · 19 records
Very likely
Most dives
Madeira Lizard
Last confirmed Jul 6, 2026 · 1170 records
Very likely
Most dives
Mediterranean Moray
Last confirmed Mar 19, 2026 · 3 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Common Stingray
Last confirmed Jul 5, 2026 · 4 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Great Barracuda
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear