The Summer Swim Stop, and the Snorkelling Deposit

When the stop happens

The operator is specific that the swim belongs to the summer season, and it is worth taking that at face value when planning. In the warm half of the year the boat anchors and puts a ladder over, and the swim becomes a defined part of the trip. Outside that window the cruise is a watching trip and the swim is not on the itinerary.

The reason is straightforward and sensible. Sea temperature lags air temperature by roughly two months, so the Atlantic here is at its coldest in late winter and warmest in August and September. Anchoring a boatload of people in a winter swell to swim in the coldest water of the year would be neither pleasant nor sensible.

Where the boat stops

Typically along the coast west of Funchal, and guests describe swimming near Cabo Girao, the enormous cliff that dominates that stretch of shoreline. It is the obvious place: deep clear water, no development at the waterline, no river mouth putting silt into the sea, and a piece of coast that is spectacular to look up at while treading water.

The boat anchors rather than drifting, which matters more than it sounds. Getting into the sea from a stationary platform in still water is a completely different proposition from doing it off a moving hull, and it is what makes the stop suitable for ordinary swimmers rather than only strong ones.

The equipment and the deposit

Snorkelling equipment is available on board, which turns a swim into something you can actually look at. The water off this coast is clear, the rock underneath is volcanic and interesting, and a mask makes the difference between splashing about and seeing where you are.

The condition attached is the detail most likely to catch people out: the equipment requires a deposit, and the operator states that the deposit is cash only. Card is the default for most travellers now, so this is worth a moment before leaving the hotel. Take some notes with you if you intend to snorkel, and you will avoid an irritating conversation at sea.

What the water is like

Deep, and there is no soft version of that. You are anchored over ocean against a coast that continues downward underwater, so there is no shelving bottom, no sandbank and nothing to put your feet on. You are out of your depth from the moment you leave the ladder.

The temperature is friendlier than the word Atlantic suggests. In the summer season the sea here sits comfortably in the low twenties, warm enough for most people to swim without a wetsuit and stay in for as long as they want to. The first few seconds are the only difficult part, as they always are.

What there is to see underwater

The visibility is the first thing. Volcanic islands with steep drop-offs and no rivers carrying sediment tend to have very clear water, and Madeira is a good example: on a settled day you can see a long way down, and the colour shifts from turquoise near the rock into serious blue further out.

For life, expect the community of a rocky Atlantic coast rather than a coral reef. Shoals of small fish over the rock, ornate wrasse, parrotfish, damselfish, urchins wedged into crevices. Nobody should book this expecting the Red Sea. What it is, is clear warm water over interesting volcanic rock at the foot of an enormous cliff, which is its own thing entirely.

Nobody has to get in

The stop is optional and it is entirely normal to stay aboard. Deep open water with no shallow end is not for everybody, a mask does not make anyone a stronger swimmer, and a child who is not confident should be watching rather than swimming.

What you keep by staying on deck is most of the experience anyway. You are anchored under one of the great cliffs of the Atlantic with time to look at it, which is not a consolation prize. Several people on any given trip do exactly that, and the reviews from families make clear that the stop works for a group where some swim and some do not.

Practical points for the swim

Wear your swimwear under your clothes when you leave. There is no changing room on a day boat, only the heads, and the problem simply disappears if you are already wearing it. Bring a towel, because towels are not provided and the operator does not claim otherwise.

Reapply sunscreen after you get out. Time in the water removes most of it however waterproof the bottle says it is, and the strongest sun of the day is usually still ahead of you when the boat weighs anchor and turns for home.

How long you get is best thought of as a defined block rather than an open-ended stay: this is one part of a three-hour trip that also has to find animals and get back to the marina. In practice it is enough. Swimming in open water is more tiring than a pool, and most people are ready to climb the ladder before anybody asks them to.

Before you book