Faro scuba diving holidays in Portugal: Best place to dive in the Algarve?

In this guide to Faro scuba diving holidays in Portugal you’ll find out about a different side to this popular tourist destination. With wrecks, reefs and an abundance of marine life it’s probably the best place to dive in the Algarve.

Faro is the Algarve’s capital city, a central hub in this well-loved holiday region. It is an attractive, Moorish city, with long, hot summers and lots of gorgeous countryside and some of Europe’s best beaches to explore around it.

Faro scuba diving holidays in Portugal

But if you want to see another side of Faro you need to head beneath the waves as it is possibly the best place to dive in the Algarve. There are plenty of good dive sites around Faro, with a diverse range of marine life and fauna to see, and several interesting wrecks.

The sea bed is rocky, with natural and artificial reefs to explore. Visibility can reach as high as 15m in summer, when the water temperature is in the low twenties. In cooler weather, the visibility drops to around 5m.

The marine life around Faro and the Algarve is typical of the Atlantic. Look out for tuna, barracuda, eels, rays and occasionally even dolphins. Fish cluster around the area’s underwater cliffs and reefs. Coral and sea sponges create colour.

OK so it isn’t scuba diving in Egypt or Indonesia. But there is still plenty of life to see during Faro scuba diving holidays in Portugal.

Best place to dive in the Algarve?

Some of the best diving is to be found around the area’s wrecks. They include the Ipimar, an intentionally sunk fishing trawler which lies on the sandy bottom at around 30m. It teems with life: covered in sea anemones and with big schools of bream and other fish.

There is also the B-24 Liberator, a shot-down American World War Two bomber aircraft. It lies at around 20m and is still pretty intact, with its engines and propellers easily seen. It’s home to eels and shellfish, including lobsters.

Exploring the Atlantic on Faro scuba diving holidays in Portugal is worth adding to your diving wish list. Is it the best place to dive in the Algarve? Probably but you’ll need to dive them all to find out for yourself!

What we do know for sure it beneath the waves you’ll discover the area’s rich underwater world. Experiencing much more than most Algarve tourists ever will.

And the beaches will still be there to chill out on at the end of your dive.

Visiting the Algarve? Then check out our Portugal adventure discounts as you could save a fortune!