In the ancient world, Sagres Portugal was the last explored point. For this reason the Romans called Sagres the 'Promontorium Sacrum', otherwise the end of the world. It is believed that Sagres was crawling with explorers, Prince Henry the Navigator was just one of those. As well as history, Sagres has fantastic beaches, and snorkeling/diving to be enjoyed by the entire family.
Scuba4Families had the pleasure to snorkel and dive at The Canyons on the Martinhal Islets. This incredible place is sometimes called the 'Shadow Canyons' as there are a series of caves and overhangs which play with the light. The walls are covered with colonies of anemones, sea fans and nudibranchs. A small cave with some natural light from a chimney on the roof is the habitat of lobsters, small crabs and plenty of sea bream. These attractions make this dive site one of the richest and most varied dives in the region. The sheer beauty of the limestone rock faces will blow you away. The depth can vary quite a bit on this dive which requires good buoyancy control but we hit a max depth of 13 metres, which for children is perfect.
We had the pleasure of diving with 'Pura Vida' http://www.puravidadivehouse.com/and opted to go on the Eco-dive. This normally entails, putting your scuba gear on the end of a Kayak and paddling out to the Martinhal Islets, diving and paddling back. The sea conditions have to be perfectly calm for this to work. We went on a sunny July day, but the wind was a little too strong, so instead the friendly crew took us out from the Marina on a RIB for first a 20 minute snorkel and then a 50 minute dive. Its a little more in price then a normal dive, but definitely worth it, as the contrast you see when snorkelling to diving in amongst the rock canyons is stunning.
The temperature of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Sagres varies in the summer varies from 14-22 degrees Celsius. A 7mm semi dry or drysuit is recommenced to keep warm. We hired all the gear from the dive house and a 7mm wetsuit was adequate but after thirty minutes you can feel chilly. So make sure you take snacks with you to re-energise after the dive.
We want to say a big shout out to PuraVidaDiveHouse who were positive and very family orientated. We would highly recommend them.They also offer accommodation in a lovely house with a cosy atmosphere.
Here is our official Scuba4Families review score:
Scuba 4 Families - The Canyons @Sagres & PuraVidaDiveHouse Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Beginner Dive Site (Safety, Entry/Exit etc)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Diving and Equipment Conditions
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️- Accessibility of Location (Ease of Travel)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Value for Money
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Customer Service of Dive club
Find below our video of the The Canyons Snorkelling/ Dive trip we did and some pictures we took.