Ponta de São Lourenço

Ponta de São Lourenço is the volcanic point at Madeira's eastern tip, and the diving spreads across several named grounds rather than sitting at one buoy. Boats from Caniçal's Quinta do Lorde Marina or from Machico reach Cais do Sardinha, likely the same dive independently catalogued elsewhere as Parede do Sardinha though no operator page confirms the two names are one site, a wall running from about 15 metres down to a sand shelf near 30-40 metres where the rock face carries black coral, and Badajeira, a rocky rise that starts at 3 metres and drops to 40, current-swept enough that a Portuguese dive catalog calls it a demanding dive. A third ground, Baixa do Lobo, is said to sit nearby: a rocky platform reported to flatten at 14 metres, its eastern edge falling toward 40. Records disagree on how deep and demanding Cais do Sardinha and Badajeira actually are: other listings for the same two names describe easy dives closer to 18-20 metres, against the deeper, current-exposed reading this page follows from independent research and a dedicated dive catalog. At Badajeira's shallow top rest the remains of two 19th-century steamships, the Forerunner, wrecked in 1854, and the Newton, wrecked in 1881, with one boiler reported still in good condition. A dive at Cais do Sardinha is generally described as running down to a sandy bottom and back up the wall; at Badajeira the route works from the top of the rise, past the wrecks, down the rock toward its base.

What sets this point apart from the rest of Madeira's east end is depth and exposure, on the reading this page follows: the Garajau reserve cluster and most of the south coast average nearer 20 metres, while two of this locality's three named grounds reach around 40 (see Know before you go for the readings that disagree). Antipathella wollastoni, black coral, grows along these same walls. Add the two wrecks at Badajeira and a rare, opportunistic chance of a Mediterranean monk seal from the Desertas colony, and the point reads as the demanding half of Madeira's diving next to the reserve's easier reefs. A shallower reef dive from the same marina base gives less experienced divers a way into the same stretch of coast without the depth or current.

Currents run generally mild to moderate across the point but turn strong at Badajeira specifically; dive it on an operator-guided boat trip and carry an SMB for any ascent away from the wall. The point sits exposed to open Atlantic swell, so boat access can depend on the day's conditions.

Under the deeper reading this page follows, these two grounds run to about 40 metres, beyond what standard Open Water or Advanced training covers; the same two spots also turn up in far shallower, easier accounts elsewhere, so no single depth figure here is settled. No operator publishes a stated minimum certification either way. Treat a booking at either one as work for someone trained and comfortable at depth, not a first outing, and confirm the actual profile before you go.

Tourism and operator material describe this point as a protected natural area, reportedly a partial nature reserve since 1982 and part of the Natura 2000 network. Whether any permit, fee or quota specific to it applies beyond Madeira's general park rules remains an open question; ask your operator for the current position when you book.

Rays, barracuda, octopus, moray eels and juvenile groupers turn up on both walls. Monk seals show up only rarely and opportunistically, sourced from the Desertas Islands' colony and not resident here. Access is by day boat from Caniçal or Machico; no liveaboard fleet operates in Madeira.