On the Water
2 hours
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Madeira Divepoint
Madeira Divepoint
4.8
Scuba & SnorkellingSwim with DolphinsDolphin & Whale Watching
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
Full view
About
Madeira Divepoint is located in the Pestana Hotel Madeira Carlton and is the only PADI 5 Star Training Facility and Dive Resort in Madeira. The dive – center has a fantastic ocean front location on the south side of Madeira. Whether you are like to go diving in the National Underwater park, snorkeling with Dolphins or just joining us for the boat ride, you’ll find that our staff is highly trained and friendly, our boats are customized for diving and snorkeling and our facilities is first class. Come join us to see some of the most spectacular underwater world, wrecks and beautiful fish life found in Madeira.
Funchal, Portugal
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Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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Freediving
3 hours
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On the Water
2–3 hours
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Dolphins and Whales Watching Tour by RIB boat in Funchal
Dolphins and Whales Watching Tour by RIB boat in Funchal
Speed Boat Hire
2–3 hours
Free cancellation
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£45
per adult
On the Water
2 hours
Free cancellation
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£51
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4.8
412 reviews
Excellent
370
Very good
29
Average
5
Poor
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Terrible
6
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Paul D
16 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
Another 2 weeks holidaying in Madeira and another visit to Madeira Divepoint.
I'm a PADI advanced open water diver with 200 dive logged now, I've got Deep Diver and Nitrox Qual's to name a few.
I completed a total of 15 dives on this trip, all with Nitrox at a consistent 32% O2
The team remain as customer focused, professional and competent as ever.
Some changes this year with the dive timing possibilities , this gave me the opportunity to do 2 dives and be back at my Hotel by 14:30 so I even managed to get a bit of a tan poolside !
For the whale and dolphin trips they now have a new RIB, this operates out of the Marina in Funchal so doesn't require a swim to the boat, this is a bonus for the folk who don't like to get too wet.
It was great to see the dive center busy, and even better to note that the customer service levels didn't suffer as a result.
The fish life on the wreck of the Corvette 'Afonso" is maturing nicely and the Grouper at Garajau are in full on breeding mode, some nice rays on a couple of dives and some great octopus on the night dive.
All in it was a great 2 weeks, it's nice to see the post covid recovery happening in Madeira.
Thanks to all at MDP for looking after me.
Paul
I'm a PADI advanced open water diver with 200 dive logged now, I've got Deep Diver and Nitrox Qual's to name a few.
I completed a total of 15 dives on this trip, all with Nitrox at a consistent 32% O2
The team remain as customer focused, professional and competent as ever.
Some changes this year with the dive timing possibilities , this gave me the opportunity to do 2 dives and be back at my Hotel by 14:30 so I even managed to get a bit of a tan poolside !
For the whale and dolphin trips they now have a new RIB, this operates out of the Marina in Funchal so doesn't require a swim to the boat, this is a bonus for the folk who don't like to get too wet.
It was great to see the dive center busy, and even better to note that the customer service levels didn't suffer as a result.
The fish life on the wreck of the Corvette 'Afonso" is maturing nicely and the Grouper at Garajau are in full on breeding mode, some nice rays on a couple of dives and some great octopus on the night dive.
All in it was a great 2 weeks, it's nice to see the post covid recovery happening in Madeira.
Thanks to all at MDP for looking after me.
Paul
Written 25 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AngieC1111
Derbyshire, UK310 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone at Madeira Divepoint for looking after us so well & making the diving so enjoyable. Special thanks to Wilfried who was so patient with me while I tried to get my weighting sorted out.
This was our 9th diving holiday with Madeira Divepoint – there were some changes to the dive schedule & some new staff but as always safety was paramount & they provided us with excellent diving.
They now have a rib for the whale & dolphin trips so they can offer 3 boat dives per day – we only wanted to do 2 so this allowed us to be flexible & do the dives that suited us. They are using this new opportunity to offer a variety of dives each day, including the Afonso wreck & various dives in the beautiful national park.
They offer diving for all levels of recreational diver, from those just wanting to do a Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) course to the most experienced recreational divers. They have all the necessary equipment so you don’t need your own & the rental equipment is all in very good condition.
In addition to the boat dives they have a lovely house reef where you can do a shallow shore dive – this is particularly good for DSDs & less experienced divers. This is also where they do the night dives – they seemed to be offering more night dive this time. We love night diving so we were very happy to be able to do one as we weren’t expecting to at this time of year.
The staff all offer a very high level of customer service & they do their best to ensure everyone gets a dive that is appropriate to their qualification & experience level. We had the opportunity to do a couple of variations on diving the house reef this year – having done so much diving here it was nice to do something a bit different.
If you are a diver with a non-diving partner or family member the dive centre now have kayaks & stand-up paddle boards for hire. You can either hire them & go on your own or book a guided tour. We didn’t have time to try them during this holiday but we are hoping to next time. They also have a variety of trips on the new rib, not just the whale & dolphin trips, so there is plenty for non-divers to do while the divers are breathing underwater!
This was our 9th diving holiday with Madeira Divepoint – there were some changes to the dive schedule & some new staff but as always safety was paramount & they provided us with excellent diving.
They now have a rib for the whale & dolphin trips so they can offer 3 boat dives per day – we only wanted to do 2 so this allowed us to be flexible & do the dives that suited us. They are using this new opportunity to offer a variety of dives each day, including the Afonso wreck & various dives in the beautiful national park.
They offer diving for all levels of recreational diver, from those just wanting to do a Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) course to the most experienced recreational divers. They have all the necessary equipment so you don’t need your own & the rental equipment is all in very good condition.
In addition to the boat dives they have a lovely house reef where you can do a shallow shore dive – this is particularly good for DSDs & less experienced divers. This is also where they do the night dives – they seemed to be offering more night dive this time. We love night diving so we were very happy to be able to do one as we weren’t expecting to at this time of year.
The staff all offer a very high level of customer service & they do their best to ensure everyone gets a dive that is appropriate to their qualification & experience level. We had the opportunity to do a couple of variations on diving the house reef this year – having done so much diving here it was nice to do something a bit different.
If you are a diver with a non-diving partner or family member the dive centre now have kayaks & stand-up paddle boards for hire. You can either hire them & go on your own or book a guided tour. We didn’t have time to try them during this holiday but we are hoping to next time. They also have a variety of trips on the new rib, not just the whale & dolphin trips, so there is plenty for non-divers to do while the divers are breathing underwater!
Written 18 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlvaLei2018
Shanghai, China2 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
I dived twice within 1 day, morning went with the boat trip and afternoon a shore dive. Both went quite ok, esp during the first dive, i have not dived for 6 months and had trouble with mask and regulator but Ricardo was extremely helpful and reassuring, he helped me to calm down and was taking care during the entire dive and it went ok.
Second shore dive was very good, could still see marine life, me and my buddy had a nice "tour" around with Tao.
Lastly want to mention Wilfred, who replied my inquiry timely and in great details, before i was there. As a tourist, esp unclear about the dive site, Wilfred was patient and flexible-Tho i was there on a Saturday and Sunday is a day off (it seems for the entire island), otherwise i may dive with the team the following day.
Highly recommended, if you are in Madeira. Small tip-bring cash.
Second shore dive was very good, could still see marine life, me and my buddy had a nice "tour" around with Tao.
Lastly want to mention Wilfred, who replied my inquiry timely and in great details, before i was there. As a tourist, esp unclear about the dive site, Wilfred was patient and flexible-Tho i was there on a Saturday and Sunday is a day off (it seems for the entire island), otherwise i may dive with the team the following day.
Highly recommended, if you are in Madeira. Small tip-bring cash.
Written 14 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sam B
2 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
My wife and I are experienced divers who previously ran a dive resort and regularly dive in the UK. We were in Madeira for a weeks holiday and wanted to do a days diving. Wilfred was very accommodating and flexible when we needed to change our dive day at the last minute due to my wife feeling unwell. When we did get to go for a days diving (2 boat dives) the team made everything very easy for us. Everything was professionally done and instructions for getting kit ready were very clear. The boat is excellent and a really easy dive platform to use.
I think the quality of some of the equipment could be better given that you are paying quite a bit extra per dive to rent it (reason for not giving 5 stars). The pair of fins I was given to use had definitely seen better days, they were ripped in places, which significantly impacted on their performance. Having worked in diving I know the punishment that rental kit takes but there are definitely makes of fin that stand up to it better and they are just something that a shop has to keep replacing to maintain standards. The 6mm wetsuits that were provided were of good quality and did keep us nice and warm throughout the dive. The deficiencies in equipment did not really impact on my enjoyment of the dives but I would probably recommend taking some of your own kit if you have luggage space (we only had space for mask and dive computer because we were only doing one day of diving).
Overall the whole team made our day of diving in Madeira a very enjoyable experience and I would definitely recommend
I think the quality of some of the equipment could be better given that you are paying quite a bit extra per dive to rent it (reason for not giving 5 stars). The pair of fins I was given to use had definitely seen better days, they were ripped in places, which significantly impacted on their performance. Having worked in diving I know the punishment that rental kit takes but there are definitely makes of fin that stand up to it better and they are just something that a shop has to keep replacing to maintain standards. The 6mm wetsuits that were provided were of good quality and did keep us nice and warm throughout the dive. The deficiencies in equipment did not really impact on my enjoyment of the dives but I would probably recommend taking some of your own kit if you have luggage space (we only had space for mask and dive computer because we were only doing one day of diving).
Overall the whole team made our day of diving in Madeira a very enjoyable experience and I would definitely recommend
Written 2 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JaH
10 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
We went diving on Madeira for the first time and I can absolutely recommend Madeira Divepoint. Everything is well organized and enough time was taken for each individual. The whole team is very professional, friendly and helpful.
The dive sites (house reef, wrecks, national park,...) are great and all in all definitely recommended! The night dive on the house reef was a great experience - especially because of the (small) shark. The dive briefings are very good and are carried out in detail.
The next vacation (Pestana Carlton and Madeira Divepoint) in October 2024 is already booked :-)
The dive sites (house reef, wrecks, national park,...) are great and all in all definitely recommended! The night dive on the house reef was a great experience - especially because of the (small) shark. The dive briefings are very good and are carried out in detail.
The next vacation (Pestana Carlton and Madeira Divepoint) in October 2024 is already booked :-)
Written 2 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Felixou du 57
Scy-Chazelles, France182 contributions
Feb 2023 • Solo
Very nice dive done with this center on the Corveta Afonso Cerqueira wreck.
The organization is rigorous, whether for the preparations for the dive or the communication and confirmation of the reservation on this site.
Diving levels taken into account. With another experienced diver we were able to stay longer than the novices which was very appreciable.
The only downside: you have to jump into the water to get on a boat a few dozen meters further on, but the geography of the place doesn't allow you to do otherwise.
The organization is rigorous, whether for the preparations for the dive or the communication and confirmation of the reservation on this site.
Diving levels taken into account. With another experienced diver we were able to stay longer than the novices which was very appreciable.
The only downside: you have to jump into the water to get on a boat a few dozen meters further on, but the geography of the place doesn't allow you to do otherwise.
Written 19 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cliff m
17 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
After a twenty year break from diving we did a few dives with these guys last year and they were brilliant. Rekindled our love so much that we did a bit of diving over the summer of 22. We returned this year feeling rusty but we needn't have worried. Well looked after by Wilfred, Stefan, Uta, Pablo and Miguel.
Excellent dive instructors that put you at your ease. No pressure and no expectation that you remember stuff from a year ago. Diving as it should be. My wife and I have both dived over a long period of time but very sporadically. Divepoint is the perfect outfit to relearn some skills, gain confidence and see some amazing wildlife.
Today both of us did our best dive ever. We were relaxed, neutrally buoyant and feeling at home in the water.
Stefan. Spot on with the weights I meant to thank you.
Bonuses
The whale/dolphin trip was excellent.
Chatting about The Smiths with Uta
I really can't recommend Divepoint enough
Excellent dive instructors that put you at your ease. No pressure and no expectation that you remember stuff from a year ago. Diving as it should be. My wife and I have both dived over a long period of time but very sporadically. Divepoint is the perfect outfit to relearn some skills, gain confidence and see some amazing wildlife.
Today both of us did our best dive ever. We were relaxed, neutrally buoyant and feeling at home in the water.
Stefan. Spot on with the weights I meant to thank you.
Bonuses
The whale/dolphin trip was excellent.
Chatting about The Smiths with Uta
I really can't recommend Divepoint enough
Written 15 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AngieC1111
Derbyshire, UK310 contributions
Oct 2022
This was our 7th diving holiday with this dive centre & as always we thoroughly enjoyed it. We keep coming back because they are safe divers, we have a great time both in & out of the water & there is plenty to see on the dive sites. We did 8 days diving & they made sure that we had a good variety of dives & didn’t keep repeating the same sites.
They are very good at ensuring that everyone gets a dive that is appropriate for their qualification & experience level. They don’t have big, mixed ability groups. Generally we were in groups of about 5-4 divers at most. They also do their best to allow the more experienced divers to use make full use of their air, rather than sending everyone up as soon as someone is getting low on air.
The equipment they have for hire is all in very good condition. We had 6mm full wetsuits with hoods, which are ideal for the sea temperature at this time of year.
The staff are all very friendly & helpful – they all work very hard so that the customers don’t have to.
They offer dives & courses for all levels of recreational divers, from DSDs upwards. Whatever your level, I would strongly recommend this dive centre.
They are very good at ensuring that everyone gets a dive that is appropriate for their qualification & experience level. They don’t have big, mixed ability groups. Generally we were in groups of about 5-4 divers at most. They also do their best to allow the more experienced divers to use make full use of their air, rather than sending everyone up as soon as someone is getting low on air.
The equipment they have for hire is all in very good condition. We had 6mm full wetsuits with hoods, which are ideal for the sea temperature at this time of year.
The staff are all very friendly & helpful – they all work very hard so that the customers don’t have to.
They offer dives & courses for all levels of recreational divers, from DSDs upwards. Whatever your level, I would strongly recommend this dive centre.
Written 30 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel Mills
London, UK15 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
Really enjoyed completing my Open Water Diver certification with Madeira Divepoint! 🤿🌊 They were very helpful and responsive in advance of my trip. The centre was well-organised and flexible on timings.
My instructor Wilfried was a really nice, patient and reassuring teacher, explaining things clearly and providing time for questions and to practice skills. I was grateful to have plenty of 1:1 instructor time which helped build my confidence and I could see that they prioritise small groups. The dives were great fun - we met lots of colourful fish, an octopus and a moray eel. 🐙🐟
Thank you to Wilfried and the team! 100% recommend to others! 😊
My instructor Wilfried was a really nice, patient and reassuring teacher, explaining things clearly and providing time for questions and to practice skills. I was grateful to have plenty of 1:1 instructor time which helped build my confidence and I could see that they prioritise small groups. The dives were great fun - we met lots of colourful fish, an octopus and a moray eel. 🐙🐟
Thank you to Wilfried and the team! 100% recommend to others! 😊
Written 2 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebekah H
2 contributions
Jul 2022
I had a great experience with the instructors at Madeira Divepoint during my first Try Dive. The small group of beginners were first given an introduction to the equipment and taught some of the essential skills on land. We then spent approximately 15-20 minutes in the shallow pool practicing these skills before getting in the sea which prepared me well for an otherwise slightly nerve-wracking experience.
The dive itself was really enjoyable and the instructors went to great lengths to ensure we all felt safe, comfortable and were getting the most out of the dive.
This was a great first introduction into diving and I would love to do this again in the future.
The dive itself was really enjoyable and the instructors went to great lengths to ensure we all felt safe, comfortable and were getting the most out of the dive.
This was a great first introduction into diving and I would love to do this again in the future.
Written 15 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, I read an 8 year old can do the sea dive in shallow water, is there any more Information on this
Written 18 February 2024
Hello, can guests of the hotel use the pool next to the sea and access the sea itself from the steps by the surf club?
Written 25 May 2023
Hi,
We are planning a trip in May. My husband and I would love to dive with the local wildlife, but we have no diving experience - can we still dive with no diving qualifications?
Written 20 January 2020
Hello
we offer a daily intro dive program,
theory, pool training and 1 shallow dive with lot´s of fish life,
bring your camera or get one rented for great pictures,
then continue more dives or get certified in an easy program for more fun and beautiful dives,
just contact us on your arrival on Madeira,
sunny regards
Wilfried
Written 20 January 2020
Hola! Quería saber si en abril es posible hacer el snorkel con delfines. Y también si el snorkel es posible con alguna especie de ballena. Gracias!
Written 28 December 2019
Hola, es posible todo el ano, con buenas conditiones del mar,
con algunas species de delfines, es commun ver ballenas del barco, pero no podemos hacer snorkeling con ellos, como son protegios por regulamentos y nos respectamos estes para no molestar las ballenas
saludos
Wilfried
Madeira Divepoint
Written 28 December 2019
My son has his junior PADI OWD to 18m since 2018 and has recently returned from a week of 10 dives in Gozo. We will call in tomorrow to enquire as we've just arrived at Cabo Girao for 1 week but he is the only diver in the family. Is the Alphonso wreck very deep and can you accommodate a teenager?
Written 12 August 2019
MadeiraDivepoint
Funchal, Portugal
Hello, depends on his age and diving experience,
just contact us on your arrival on Madeira for the timing and details
best regards
Written 13 September 2019
Madeira Divepoint
Funchal, Portugal
Hello Vicky, we are open all year except Sundays, 25th of December and 1st of January.
Have a nice weekend, Ralf
Madeira Divepoint
Written 4 May 2019
Hi, I want to book one place for a dolphin swim for Monday 15th April but on your website I can not seem to find a section where you actually book the day you want to do the trip. So please can you tell me if the trip is on that day, the time of the trip and how long we shall be out for. Thank you.
Written 28 March 2019
MadeiraDivepoint
Funchal, Portugal
Hello,
This trip is weather depending, please contact us on your arrival on Madeira to confirm the day and timing.
find all answer on common questions at
madeiradivepoint . com snorkel-with-dolphins
sorry but Tripadvisor will not allow to send a link
you can pay ahead on our web site but the timing will be confirmed here,
regards
Wilfried
Written 28 March 2019
MadeiraDivepoint
Funchal, Portugal
Hello, yes you can dive from 10 years on,
just contact us on your arrival on Madeira for your timing,
regards
Wilfried
Written 27 July 2018
Hi in case of we cannot swim with dolfins what do you do?
Written 9 July 2018
MadeiraDivepoint
Funchal, Portugal
Hello Jeremy,
it is a boat trip with a chance to get in the water with some species of dolphins,
some species of dolphins are protected, so we can not go in the water with them as we follow the regulations and not disturb them,
the chances are very good to meet the "resident" dolphins ( Spottet and Common dolphins ) and to get in the water with them,
nobody can guarantee what you can find on the trip with wild animals,
frequently we see also turtles and whales,
just contact us on your arrival on Madeira for your arrangements
best regards
Written 10 July 2018
Lynn00110
Norwich, United Kingdom
My son is 15 who recently gained his BSAC open water cert - will he be able to dive with you or will he need a parent with him?
Thanks
Written 10 April 2018
MadeiraDivepoint
Funchal, Portugal
Hello,
we dive daily from shore and boat all dives are guided from an instructor. When junior Open Water Divers reach the age of 15, their credentials are then automatically upgraded to the Open Water Diver certification, and they are allowed to dive deeper, with other certified divers.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us!
Best regards,
Ralf
Written 11 April 2018
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