Blue Hole
Also known as: Blue Hole Madeira, Blue Hole Reis Magos
A tunnel and cave dive off Reis Magos beach, Madeira: shore divers enter at 8-9m and exit near 18m; a boat-based plateau version runs deeper offshore.
Last updated September 2026
The dive
A reef breaks the surface at 8 to 9 metres off Reis Magos beach, in Caniço, and a tunnel cuts straight through it, opening into the cave-like chamber that gives the site its name near 18 metres. Two centres that run it as a shore dive describe the same structure closely: the same entry depth, the same 18-metre exit. A short boat ride away, a third centre instead reaches a shallower plateau, sloping from about 7 metres to a wall that drops to a sandy floor near 19 to 21 metres, possibly the same feature approached from the other side. Trumpetfish crowd the tunnel's shallow end, and grunts and seabream gather in dense schools at its deepest part. Rays leave tracks across the sand nearby. Blue Hole is one of several named dives sharing this stretch of beach, distinct from the wall dive further along it that carries the beach's own name, Reis Magos.
What makes it special
The tunnel is Blue Hole's whole point: entering at the reef top and swimming through to the chamber at the far end is the shape every source that describes the dive gives it, whichever base a diver starts from. One operator calls it one of Madeira's most popular dives, and Dive Around Madeira runs a deeper, more current-exposed version further offshore for divers who want more than the tunnel core. The dive is built around that single passage, from entry to exit.
Know before you go
Current on the site's deeper, boat-accessed stretch runs from soft to strong, per the one operator that rates it. Check the day's forecast before committing to that version. The tunnel is a genuine overhead passage, so follow your guide's line through it and keep buoyancy tight near the narrower point to avoid stirring silt. Confirm before you get in which version of the site the day's dive covers, shore-entry tunnel or boat-accessed plateau: the two reach different depths and call for different certification.
Why Dive Blue Hole
What makes this dive site stand out.
- Tunnel to a cave chamber
Reef top at 8-9m, corroborated by two operators, cuts through to an 18m exit
- Two ways to dive it
A shore-entry tunnel or a boat-only plateau and wall further offshore
- Trumpetfish and grunt schools
Trumpetfish crowd the tunnel entrance; grunts and seabream mass at the exit
- Outside the Garajau reserve
Sits northeast of the reserve boundary that covers its neighbouring dives
Depth & Profile
Location
32.6448°N, 16.8243°W
Conditions & difficulty
The tunnel's core, entry at 8-9m to an exit near 18m, sits within Open Water's ceiling. The deeper readings some operators describe beyond it, 19m to 25m, call for Advanced Open Water.
Summary
Straightforward on the well-corroborated tunnel core; the deeper, boat-accessed version is graded for experienced and advanced divers by the one operator that runs it.
Safety considerations
What can go wrong here, and what divers do about it. Conditions change - take the briefing from the operator on the day.
- Current: Current on the deeper, boat-accessed stretch runs from soft to strong, per the one operator that rates itCheck the day's current forecast before committing to that version
- Overhead: The tunnel is a genuine swim-through passage, not an open reefFollow your guide's line through the passage and keep buoyancy tight near the narrower point
Marine Life
Rules and permits
- Conduct: no touching, no taking anything, no disturbing wildlife.
Diving with scuba or a scooter to watch marine mammals or turtles is prohibited, unless for authorised science or filming; a chance meeting is not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I dive Blue Hole from the beach, or does it need a boat?▾
Both, depending on which centre runs your trip. Madeira Diving Center and Atalaia Diving Center walk divers in from Reis Magos beach, entering the reef top at 8 to 9 metres and swimming the tunnel through to its 18-metre exit. Manta Diving Madeira instead runs it as a six-minute boat trip to a plateau about 150 metres offshore, entering nearer 7 metres and working down a wall to a sandy floor around 19 to 21 metres. The two accounts may describe the same feature reached from two directions, or two distinct formations that happen to share a name; book with the centre whose version matches what you want to dive.
Blue Hole's maximum depth is listed anywhere from 18 to 25 metres: does Open Water cover the whole dive?▾
Not the deeper readings. The tunnel's core, from the 8 to 9 metre entry to its roughly 18-metre exit, is the version most operators describe and sits right at Open Water's depth limit. Beyond that, Atalaia lists a 22-metre maximum, Dive Around Madeira states 12 to 25 metres for its own version and grades it for experienced and advanced divers, and Manta Diving Madeira's boat-accessed plateau runs to 19 to 21 metres. Any of those deeper readings calls for Advanced Open Water; ask your operator which depth the day's dive is planning to reach.
Is Blue Hole part of the Reis Magos dive, or a separate one?▾
Separate. One operator's own zoned site list names Blue Hole and Reis Magos as two different numbered dives sharing the same beach and the same access point: Blue Hole first, with its tunnel to about 18 metres, and Reis Magos further along as its own wall dive.
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