Mareta
Also known as: Praia da Mareta
A boat-accessed reef of two rock canyons off Sagres' Praia da Mareta, running roughly five to eighteen metres, with nudibranchs along the walls.
Last updated September 2026
The dive
Two rock canyons run through the reef, a rim near five metres giving way to a floor closer to eighteen. Nudibranchs turn up in numbers along their walls, the main draw here beyond the terrain itself. Blue Ocean Divers reaches the site on a short boat run out of Sagres.
What makes it special
Nudibranch density is the reason to book this one: the canyon walls carry them in numbers. That turns a stop on Sagres' boat program into slug-hunting territory, not just a straight depth dive. The dive borrows its name from the shore above it, not the other way around: Praia da Mareta, a five-minute walk from Sagres' main square and the town's busiest stretch of sand, sits directly onshore from the canyons below.
Know before you go
Ask your operator to confirm which "Mareta" you have booked: PuraVida DiveHouse runs a separate, shallower, beach-access dive under a similar name, at a different depth and skill level from this canyon dive. Sagres water typically runs clearer than the Algarve's eastern stretches, credited to the sector's rockier bottom, with the clearest window falling in spring and autumn, March to May and September to November.
Why Dive Mareta
What makes this dive site stand out.
- Two rock canyons
The reef's defining structure, dropping from about five to eighteen metres.
- Nudibranch density
Canyon walls carry nudibranchs in numbers, the site's signature find.
- Praia da Mareta beach
Named for Sagres' most popular beach, five minutes from the main square.
Depth & Profile
Conditions & difficulty
Sagres water typically runs clearer than the Algarve's eastern stretches, credited to the sector's rockier bottom; no site-specific figure exists for Mareta itself.
The whole five-to-eighteen-metre profile sits inside Open Water's own depth limit; no deeper option on this dive calls for Advanced Open Water.
Depth and canyon terrain put this dive in the moderate band, not a beginner profile.
Marine Life
Rules and permits
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do two Sagres operators use 'Mareta' for two different dives?▾
Blue Ocean Divers runs the boat trip described on this page: two canyons, five to eighteen metres. A separate Sagres operator, PuraVida DiveHouse, runs a different dive it calls 'Mareta Shallows': beach access, one to twelve metres, graded for beginners. An independent Algarve tourism guide separately describes Praia da Mareta's own near-shore water as shallow and calm enough on good days for exploring small caves close to the beach, consistent with a genuinely shallower feature distinct from this boat dive. Confirm with your operator which profile you are booking.
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