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Portugal from Top to Bottom Diving Itinerary

14 Nights/15 Days

Destination:

• Mainland Portugal
• Diving in Matosinhos, Berlengas Archipelago, and Sesimbra, and Fonte da Telha, and Portimão.
• Arrival airport Porto (OPO)
• Departure airport Faro (FAO)

Length of stay:

• Fifteen days/ fourteen nights

Portugal

Portugal is Europe's most western country. Situated in the extreme southwest of Europe, just a few hours from other European capitals, Portugal attracts visitors worldwide. Portugal's territory includes the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean. Mainland Portugal occupies an area of 88,889 km2. It is 218 km wide and 561 km long. It has 832 km of the Atlantic coast and a 1,215 km border with Spain.

Portugal has been awarded for many years the World Travel Award – World's Leading Destination.

The following itinerary presents to any traveller and diver the best Portugal offers underwater. The diving plan is adaptable to recreational or technical diving in all the specified locations.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Porto

You will arrive at the Porto Francisco Sa Carneiro International Airport (OPO).

Porto is the capital and gateway to the North of Portugal and the city that provided a nation with a name and a fortified wine known worldwide: Port wine.

At the airport, our local representative will be waiting for you. After checking in at the hotel, the group will attend a Port Wine Tasting experience. Don't drink too much, though. This is a dive trip, and you must wake up early for your first dive tomorrow.

Day 2 – Matosinhos, Porto

First-day diving. Do people tend to leave the best for last? Don't count on that. You will start with the most iconic wreck dive in Portuguese waters, the U-boat 1277.

"U Boat – 1277" is a WWII shipwreck. She was a German submarine Type VIIC/41 from the Kriegsmarine. On June 3 1945, she was scuttled by her crew to avoid the capture of the submarine by the Allies.

The wreck of U boat -1277 is located in a North-West direction from Oporto, 2 miles offshore, laying at a depth of 31mts.

Small white anemones (Sargatia Elegans) cover the submarine's hull, thousands of pouts, the largest congres in these waters, big and curious octopuses, fantastic lobsters and the magnificent pink anemone community are some of the natural attractions of this wreck.

Day 3, 4 and 5 – Peniche, Berlengas Archipelago

Your base for the next few days is Peniche, and you will dive into the fantastic Berlengas Archipelago. You will not believe you're diving European Continental waters. But yes, you are. Located opposite Peniche, the Archipelago consists of 3 groups of small islands: Berlenga Grande (the only inhabited one that can be visited by boat from Peniche) and the nearby reefs, Estelas and Farilhões-Forcadas; their geological nature is different from that of the Portuguese coast.

The Islands have their particular fauna and flora, with characteristics that make their ecosystem unique globally, the importance of which was recognised by the creation of the Berlenga Nature Reserve in 1981.

By the way, UNESCO recognised the Berlengas Archipelago as a unique ecosystem globally, creating the Berlenga Nature Reserve in 1981.

Day 6 to 11 – Lisbon

Lisbon is Portugal's capital and the hub of a multifaceted area that appeals to different tastes and senses.

In a city that many different far-off cultures have influenced over time, each historic neighbourhood still has a village feel. Your Portugal Dive Buddy will take you on a stroll through the Pombaline grid of streets in the Baixa district that opens onto the Tagus in Praça do Comércio, then follow the river to discover some of the city's most beautiful parts: the Cais do Sodre, the monumental area of Belém with its World Heritage monuments, to come back afterwards to the mediaeval quarters on the hill we call Alfama.

And you'll end up the day having dinner at a Fado Restaurant. Your Portugal Dive Buddy will invite you to listen to sounds that evoke the Portuguese soul. Fado is melancholic, with mourning voices expressing longing and is always accompanied by an acoustic and a Portuguese guitar.

A national symbol and included in UNESCO's list of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage, beyond the music, Fado is a sensory experience, a journey through history, art, and Portugal's gastronomy. One more experience you'll never forget.

You will stay here for the next six days, and from here, you will dive into Fonte da Telha and Sesimbra and visit some memorable sites.

Day 7 – Fonta da Telha

You will dive offshore at the Fonte da Telha Beach dive spots.

On the first day of diving from Lisbon, we will take you to Fonte da Telha, a beautiful beach south of Lisbon, unique in Portugal because it is home to the only dive centre, with its entire operation on the beach. And Portugal has hundreds of miles of coast and numerous beaches.

"Pedra da Lagoa", or Lagoon Stone, is one of the most appreciated dives at Fonte da Telha for the life it attracts. Usually, there is some current; this is considered a dive for experienced divers that should know how to behave in such conditions. The average visibility is 10 meters, and the maximum depth is 30 meters.

Day 8 and 9 – Sesimbra

Let's dive into the Sesimbra Marine Reserve, one of Portugal's most extensive marine reserves.

For Portuguese divers, Sesimbra is a kind of sanctuary – some call it the "Mecca" of diving in Portugal – because of everything you find underwater and also because of its location and morphology; the perfect match for a site where you dive over 330 days, on average, each year.

Sesimbra, formerly a fishing town set in a sheltered bay, was founded on the hilltop around the Moorish castle that Dom Afonso Henriques (the first King of Portugal) captured to the Moors in 1165.

Sesimbra's wealth of seafood persuaded the population to go down the hill and explore the neighbourhood, turning this town into one of the region's main fishing ports. During the 20th century, the sea attracted outsiders searching for excellent sheltered beaches with prime water sports and diving conditions, making this peaceful place a busy summer resort.

The following two days of diving will be into the Sesimbra Marine Reserve, one of the most extensive Portuguese marine reserves.

Day 10 and 11 – Visit Lisbon

Here are some options for your most fantastic topside experience and the Portuguese capital.

Download Lisbon Tours

Day 12 to 15 – Algarve, Praia da Rocha

Located by the mouth of the Arade river, Rocha Beach extends over a vast area of sand, some 3 kilometres long, irregularly broken up by odd rock formations that the sea has been carving out throughout tens of thousands of years.

Bathed by a calm and warm sea that provides for risk-free swimming, Rocha Beach houses many facilities for some different sports, including the Ocean Revival Park.

You will stay here for the last part of your trip, diving into the wrecks of the Ocean Revival Park and enjoying everything else Rocha Beach has to offer.

And on Day 14 – Algarve, Sagres; you rest.

Yes, it's the final surface interval day — time to enjoy more of the Algarve.

Visiting Sagres, the southwestern tip of the Algarve, you'll discover where Portuguese sailors departed many centuries ago to find new land like the one we call today, Brazil.

Day 15 – Faro

We will drive you to the Faro International Airport (FAO). It is time to start thinking about your next dive trip to Portugal.

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COST: pricing on request

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