Atlantic · Portugal
Sesimbra & the Arrábida
The River Gurara wreck and gorgonian rock south of Lisbon
Photo: YukioSanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sesimbra is a fishing town under the Arrábida hills south of Lisbon, and the base for the best-known dive on this stretch of coast. Boats leave the Porto de Abrigo and run west toward Cabo Espichel: gorgonian-covered rock, canyons and caves, and the River Gurara, a Nigerian cargo ship broken in two by a 1989 storm and lying at 23 m and 28 m. Barco das Telhas sits deeper at 55–65 m. The Professor Luiz Saldanha Marine Park covers this coast as far west as the cape.
About diving in Sesimbra & the Arrábida
Diving here is a boat day from the Porto de Abrigo. The centres found in town — Mega Dive, Odisseia Azul, Arrábida Experiences and Dive Club Cipreia at the naval club — all work out of the harbour or the marina beside it, and the run west along the Arrábida coast is short: Pedra da Mula, beside Ribeira do Cavalo beach, is under ten minutes out. A few spots can be entered from the beach instead of the boat, Baleeira among them. Sites that carry a Sesimbra label but lie 10 km or more north, off Fonte da Telha, are a different stretch of coast and a longer run.
The seabed is rock rather than coral. Shelf-shaped slabs stack into ledges, a rock at Forte da Baralha rises from 15 m to the surface, and canyons cut through with walls of yellow sponge, anemones and nudibranchs at Ponta da Passagem. Gorgonians cover the bottom at Pedra da Milu thickly enough to read as a carpet, and caves open in places: Gruta dos Pampos has a wide mouth that splits in two, while Cavernas is a maze of holes with and without exits. Water runs 13–18°C and visibility swings from a couple of metres to about 15 m depending on month and site.
It suits divers based in or passing through Lisbon, anyone who wants the River Gurara, and technical divers with Barco das Telhas at 55–65 m and the current-swept rock of P-39 at 34–42 m on their list. Beginners have honest shallow options at Baleeira and Pedra do Meio. Divers after warm, clear water should look to the Algarve instead, and those wanting granite caves and a wilder crossing have Berlengas up the coast. Cabo Espichel takes Atlantic wind and swell year-round, so cancellations happen in any month.
Best time to dive Sesimbra & the Arrábida
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | 15°C59°F | 15°C59°F | 15°C59°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 18°C64°F | 18°C64°F | 19°C66°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F | 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F |
| Daytime high | 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 19°C66°F | 21°C70°F | 25°C77°F | 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F | 25°C77°F | 21°C70°F | 18°C64°F |
| Rain | 56 mm2.2 in | 43 mm1.7 in | 67 mm2.6 in | 57 mm2.2 in | 29 mm1.1 in | 10 mm0.4 in | 3 mm0.1 in | 4 mm0.2 in | 25 mm1.0 in | 66 mm2.6 in | 87 mm3.4 in | 63 mm2.5 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 15°C59°F | 15°C59°F | 15°C59°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 18°C64°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 19°C66°F | 21°C70°F | 25°C77°F | 26°C79°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 56 mm2.2 in | 43 mm1.7 in | 67 mm2.6 in | 57 mm2.2 in | 29 mm1.1 in | 10 mm0.4 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 18°C64°F | 19°C66°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F | 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 26°C79°F | 25°C77°F | 21°C70°F | 18°C64°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 3 mm0.1 in | 4 mm0.2 in | 25 mm1.0 in | 66 mm2.6 in | 87 mm3.4 in | 63 mm2.5 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Aug–Oct is the warmest window; sheltered bay sites are diveable all year, but cape-facing sites take Atlantic swell in any month.
Best months: August, September, October
Sesimbra water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 15 °C (59 °F) in February to 19 °C (66 °F) in September. Most rain falls from October to April, peaking at about 90 mm (3.5 in) in November; it stays largely dry from June to September. Daytime highs reach 27 °C (81 °F) in August and drop to 17 °C (63 °F) in January. The coldest water here is about 13 °C (55 °F), so pack a 7 mm suit with a hood, or a semi-dry.
Dive types & marine life
Gorgonian fields cover the bottom at Pedra da Milu, and the canyon walls at Ponta da Passagem carry yellow sponges, anemones and nudibranchs. Lobsters hold under the shelf rock at Lagosteiros. The marine park logs over 2,000 species including dolphins and whales, but those are boat-trip sightings rather than something to plan a dive around.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Cave & cavern
- Macro critters
- Nudibranchs
Best dive sites in Sesimbra & the Arrábida
Pinnacle
Surface-breaking rock at 15 m with nudibranchs in the cuts
Wreck
Tile-carrying wreck at 55–65 m, expert divers only
Reef
A disused submarine cable over rock at about 20 m
Pinnacle
Rock rising from 15 m to the surface near Cabo Espichel
Reef
Exposed rocky ground at 34–42 m, lobsters and soft corals
Wall
Cape walls at 12–15 m strewn with River Gurara debris
Reef
Gorgonian carpet at 28–30 m where sunfish come to be cleaned
Low rock with lost anchors on the bottom at 15–18 m
Reef
Easy 13 m rock where octopus, cuttlefish and squid lay eggs
Wreck
The deeper half of the River Gurara, at 28 m
Wreck
The shallower half of the River Gurara, at 23 m
River Gurara
Nigerian cargo ship sunk in a 1989 storm off Cabo Espichel, broken in two at 23 m and 28 m.
Pedra da Mula
Wall dive on a mule-shaped rock off Ribeira do Cavalo beach, under ten minutes from the port.
Ponta da Passagem
Large canyon with walls of yellow sponge, anemones and nudibranchs.
Gruta dos Pampos
Cave near the River Gurara with a wide entrance that splits into two passages.
Catrapona
Recreational and technical rock north of Cabo Espichel, exposed to the prevailing swell.
How to get to Sesimbra & the Arrábida
Lisbon is the airport, about 40 km north; the A2 motorway and the N378 bring cars in and Carris Metropolitana buses run from the city. Every dive centre found here operates from the Porto de Abrigo or the Marina da Vila de Sesimbra, so staying in the town puts the boats within walking distance.
Photos from Sesimbra & the Arrábida
YukioSanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
- Sesimbra's whitewashed town below a rocky Arrábida headland, seen across the bay from a seafront pier. by YukioSanjo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-roofed buildings along Sesimbra's beachfront, backed by wooded hills under a clear sky. by YukioSanjo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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