Madeira · Portugal · Pinnacle · Reef
Mamas / T-Reef
Twin volcanic pinnacles from 30 m up to 12 m
Area photo: Alberto-g-rovi · CC BY 3.0
Two volcanic pinnacles inside the Underwater Natural Park of Madeira, rising from 30 metres to within about 12 metres of the surface. The dive is worked around the towers rather than along a reef line, so the deep leg is short and the time goes on the shallower flanks. Moray eels hold the crevices; barracuda, triggerfish schools and rays pass the rock. Known to the island's centres as T-Reef.
Also known as T-Reef.
Where it is and how deep
32.6398° N, 16.8673° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop onto the tops at about 12 metres and take stock there before going down. The two pinnacles are volcanic, standing off a base at 30 metres, so the deepest part of the profile is spent at the foot of the rock rather than spread through the dive. Moray eels shelter in the crevices of both towers, and there are enough species of them here to make identification part of the dive.
Depth does the planning for you. With the bases at 30 metres the bottom time down there is short, and the second half of the dive is spent working back up the flanks to the tops at 12 metres. Barracuda and large schools of grey triggerfish move over the rock, and stingrays and eagle rays cross it. The site lies inside the Underwater Natural Park of Madeira.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Madeira: Jun–Sep brings the warmest water and best odds of manta rays around the Desertas; diving continues year-round but cooler and rougher in winter.
Questions divers ask
How deep is T-Reef in Madeira?+
The two pinnacles rise from a base at 30 metres to about 12 metres below the surface, so the dive runs between those two depths with the deep leg kept short.
Sources
- Mamas / T-Reef, Madeira - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Madeira
Reef
Amphitheatre reef in the underwater park, 10–24 m
Reef
Volcanic caves and coral blocks inside 18 metres
Reef
An entrance at 8 metres, an exit at 18
Pinnacle
A 3-metre peak that drops to 35 on sand
Reef
Three minutes from Santa Cruz to 25-metre rock
Steps at the Lido to a 5-to-18-metre fall
Wall
A wall that reaches the surface, sloping to 25 m
Cave & cavern
A tunnel in at 8 metres, out at 18
Similar dives elsewhere
Three offshore rocks, two tunnels through the biggest
The sec du Pelu, renamed for the groupers that hold on it
The pinnacle the King Cruiser struck, carpeted in anemones
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A swimthrough under the longer of the two islets