Portugal
Best Time to Dive in Madeira
32.64°N 16.86°W
Aim for May to September for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 7% of days, against 52% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- Water
- 19–24 °C
- Visibility
- 20–35 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.9–2.1 m
- Species logged
- 9
Worth knowing: 33% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Madeira — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Sep
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Madeira diving season
May to September · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 20–24 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 6 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
October · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–23 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough. It rains more. The wind eases.
November to April · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 19–22 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. The sea is rougher.
- Spring tides run 2.1 m against 0.9 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Madeira water temperature and weather
3,825 underwater observation records · 26 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Madeira water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
10
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 33% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
9
wet days a month
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.8 m | 0% | 9 | 2 | 19 °C | 10.1 h |
| February | 2.9 m | 1% | 9 | 2 | 19 °C | 10.8 h |
| March | 3.1 m | 1% | 12 | 2 | 19 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 2.5 m | 0% | 12 | 2 | 20 °C | 12.8 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 0% | 9 | 1 | 22 °C | 13.7 h |
| June | 1.4 m | 0% | 8 | 1 | 24 °C | 14.1 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 0% | 4 | 0 | 26 °C | 14.0 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 28 °C | 13.2 h |
| September | 1.4 m | 0% | 9 | 0 | 26 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 2.0 m | 0% | 12 | 2 | 25 °C | 11.2 h |
| November | 2.3 m | 0% | 11 | 2 | 22 °C | 10.3 h |
| December | 3.1 m | 0% | 10 | 3 | 20 °C | 9.9 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Moderate | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of June
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 20 °C | 2.6 m | 14 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.9 m | 16 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 19 °C | 3.0 m | 15 km/h | 26% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 19 °C | 2.2 m | 14 km/h | 26% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 19 °C | 2.1 m | 13 km/h | 25% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.8 m | 13 km/h | 28% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 19 °C | 3.0 m | 14 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.9 m | 13 km/h | 38% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.9 m | 14 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 3.2 m | 16 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 18 °C | 3.1 m | 15 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 19 °C | 3.0 m | 15 km/h | 41% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 19 °C | 3.1 m | 15 km/h | 43% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.7 m | 14 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 19 °C | 1.9 m | 13 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 19 °C | 1.9 m | 12 km/h | 39% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 19 °C | 1.7 m | 13 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 20 °C | 1.6 m | 14 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 20 °C | 1.5 m | 13 km/h | 24% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 20 °C | 1.5 m | 12 km/h | 26% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 21 °C | 2.0 m | 12 km/h | 29% |
| Week 2 | Good | 21 °C | 1.5 m | 12 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 21 °C | 1.2 m | 12 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 12 km/h | 20% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 12 km/h | 18% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.0 m | 12 km/h | 14% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.1 m | 11 km/h | 7% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.1 m | 12 km/h | 7% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.1 m | 13 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 13 km/h | 7% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Good | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 15% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 12 km/h | 27% |
| Week 2 | Good | 24 °C | 1.5 m | 12 km/h | 33% |
| Week 3 | Good | 24 °C | 1.5 m | 12 km/h | 34% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 12 km/h | 23% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 12 km/h | 16% |
| Week 2 | Good | 23 °C | 1.9 m | 12 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.1 m | 12 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.1 m | 12 km/h | 52% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.3 m | 13 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 14 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.2 m | 14 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 21 °C | 2.3 m | 14 km/h | 41% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 21 °C | 2.9 m | 14 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 21 °C | 3.4 m | 13 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 20 °C | 3.1 m | 14 km/h | 36% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 20 °C | 2.3 m | 14 km/h | 29% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 5 mm + | February: 5 mm + | March: 5 mm + | April: 5 mm + | May: 5 mm + | June: 5 mm + | July: 5 mm | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm | October: 5 mm | November: 5 mm | December: 5 mm + |
- Dec–Jun5 mm with hood and gloves
- Jul–Nov5 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
1 of the last 30 Octobers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Oct–Nov.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Madeira marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-finned pilot whale | All year | Near-guaranteed | 2185 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 188 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 223 | ||
| Sperm whale | All year | Near-guaranteed | 673 | ||
| Common dolphin | Jan–Apr | Near-guaranteed | 218 | ||
| Atlantic spotted dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 247 | ||
| Humpback whale | Feb, Apr, Jun | Likely | 27 | ||
| Orca | Jan–Feb | Hit-or-miss | 21 | ||
| Bryde's whale | Jan, Jun, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 22 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Madeira — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Madeira?
- Aim for May to September for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 7% of days, against 52% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Madeira?
- The diving season in Madeira runs May to September.
- Is the diving in Madeira good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Madeira?
- Between 19 and 24 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in March and warmest in September. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Madeira?
- A 5 mm with hood and gloves covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Madeira?
- Roughly 20 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Madeira?
- The most consistently recorded species are Short-finned pilot whale (near-guaranteed), Loggerhead turtle (near-guaranteed) and Bottlenose dolphin (near-guaranteed), from 3,825 records within 60 km.
- Does Madeira get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Oct–Nov, most often in October at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Madeira?
- The tide rises and falls 2.1 m around the full and new moon, against 0.9 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Madeira?
- December–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Madeira?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Sep.