Most visitors know Porto Santo for its nine kilometres of golden beach. Divers know it for something else: two large ships sunk on purpose in the island's sheltered southern waters, close to the harbour. One is a former Portuguese Navy corvette, the General Pereira d'Eça. The other is the Madeirense, the cargo ship that for decades connected Porto Santo with Madeira.
Both lie inside protected marine areas, both are now artificial reefs full of fish, and together they make Porto Santo one of the best places in Portugal for wreck diving. In 2023 the Portugal Dive organisation named the corvette among the five best dive sites in the country.
The General Pereira d'Eça (pennant number F477) was one of six João Coutinho-class corvettes, designed in Portugal by naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira. It was built in Hamburg by Blohm & Voss, launched in July 1969 and commissioned on 10 October 1970. The ships of this class served in Portugal's African territories until 1975 and afterwards patrolled Portuguese waters.
| Corvette General Pereira d'Eça | |
|---|---|
| Length | 84.6 m |
| Beam | 10.3 m |
| In service | 1970-2014 |
| Sunk | 13 July 2016 |
| Depth | about 28-30 m |
After it was decommissioned in 2014, the Madeira regional government asked for the ship to be used as an artificial reef. On 13 July 2016 the corvette was sunk off Porto Santo, between the harbour and the Ilhéu de Cima, inside the Ilhéu de Cima Marine Protected Area, part of Porto Santo's network of marine protected areas. Navy explosive ordnance disposal divers used precision cutting charges for the sinking.
The corvette rests on the bottom at about 28 to 30 metres. Its superstructure is the shallowest part of the dive, so a typical visit follows the hull, the decks and the bridge area, finishing higher on the structure before a slow ascent.
The Madeirense is the older of the two. For decades it carried cargo between Madeira and Porto Santo, until it was retired and sunk on 21 October 2000, the first ship in the archipelago sunk to create a reef.
It lies at about 34 metres, in a sheltered bay to the south of the harbour area, also inside a marine protected area. After more than 25 years underwater, the hull is well colonised by marine life, and at 34 metres it is the deeper and more demanding of the two wrecks.
Very. According to figures reported by RTP Madeira in 2024, the corvette General Pereira d'Eça recorded about 12,000 dives in three and a half years. For comparison, its "sister" reef off Madeira, the corvette Afonso Cerqueira at Cabo Girão, recorded nearly 9,000 in the same period. For a small island, that is a lot of divers, and a good sign that the reefs are working.
Both wrecks are deep dives:
That is beyond the 18-metre limit of an entry-level Open Water certification. To dive them you need an Advanced Open Water (or equivalent) and recent experience, and for the Madeirense, comfort at depths over 30 metres. Good buoyancy control is essential, both for your safety and to protect the growth on the steel.
Not certified to that level yet? Porto Santo is a good place to do your advanced course before the wreck dives, in calm, sheltered water.
Nitrox is worth considering for wreck days: it gives you more time at depth on the same dive, if you hold the certification.
Both wrecks are inside marine protected areas. In practice:
Porto Santo is easy to reach. There are daily flights from Funchal, about 15 minutes long, flights from Lisbon all year, and some direct flights from other European airports in summer. The ferry from Funchal takes about 2 hours 30 minutes.
Porto Santo Sub has been running dives on the island since 2001, with small groups, personal care in planning your dives, and a transfer from your hotel to the base for diving trips.
Prices for certified divers (boat, guide, tank and weights included):
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Single dive | 35 EUR |
| Pack of 4 dives | 135 EUR |
| Pack of 6 dives | 200 EUR |
| Pack of 8 dives | 260 EUR |
| Pack of 10 dives | 310 EUR |
| Nitrox, per dive | 6 EUR |
Equipment can be rented by the item or as a full package (20 EUR per day).
A sample 4-dive week:
The exact order depends on the sea and on your experience; the team plans the dives each day.
Few places in Europe let you dive a warship and a historic cargo ship in the same week, both in sheltered water close to the harbour. If you hold an Advanced certification, Porto Santo's wrecks deserve a place on your list.
Contact Porto Santo Sub to plan your wreck dives, or see the full price list.
Sources: DNotícias (29 September 2023): sinking dates, locations and depths of the Madeirense and the General Pereira d'Eça, and the Portugal Dive ranking; Times of Madeira (9 May 2024, citing RTP Madeira): number of dives; Wikipedia, "João Coutinho-class corvette" (builder, dates, dimensions) and "NRP General Pereira d'Eça" (pt); Andrew Lambert (11 December 2018), on the use of cutting charges by Navy divers; Porto Santo Sub (prices, services, access).