Madeira · Portugal · Reef
Scorpio House Reef
Easy 2-metre entry, small wreck off the point
Area photo: Alberto-g-rovi · CC BY 3.0
The house reef directly in front of the dive centre at the east end of the island, entered at 2 metres and running out to 12 or 14. A small wreck lies off the right-hand side of the point. It is used for first dives, for snorkelling and for looking at small things — seahorses, shrimps and crabs — and the shallow maximum means one tank covers the site.
Where it is and how deep
32.7345° N, 16.7452° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The entry is the easy part: in at 2 metres in front of the centre, with no swim worth the name before you are on the reef. The ground runs out to between 12 and 14 metres, which is the whole depth range of the site, so the dive becomes a question of how far along you go rather than how deep, and gas rather than depth decides when you turn.
Off the right-hand side of the point there is a small wreck, unnamed in what has been published about the site. The rest of the ground gives stingrays and octopus over the sand, seahorses, shrimps and crabs in the small stuff, and sea bream and salema in schools, with the occasional pelagic through. With a maximum of 14 metres the profile stays long and flat, which is why the reef takes beginners and snorkellers as readily as it does fun dives.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
- Reef fish swarms
| 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
Is there a wreck at Scorpio House Reef?+
Yes, a small wreck lies off the right-hand side of the point. It is not named in the published description of the site, and it sits inside the reef's 2 to 14 metre depth range.
Sources
- Scorpio House Reef - Scubago — Scubago
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