Six marine areas around the Madeira archipelago have their own protection rules: the Garajau reserve, the Cabo Girão marine park, the Rocha do Navio reserve, the Desertas, the Selvagens and the Porto Santo network. On top of those, the sea around Madeira, the Desertas and Porto Santo is an EU Natura 2000 site for whales and dolphins.
Which marine areas are protected, and since when?
Here are the six, from the closest to Funchal to the farthest away.
| Area | Where | Protected since | Main rules at sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garajau Partial Nature Reserve | Just east of Funchal, from Ponta do Lazareto to Ponta da Oliveira in Caniço, out to the 50 m depth line | 1986 | No fishing of any kind, no spearfishing, no nets, no motor boats inside |
| Cabo Girão Marine Natural Park | Below Cabo Girão, from Ribeira da Alforra to Ribeira da Quinta Grande, out to the 50 m depth line | 2017 | Fishing under the normal rules, no dumping, no taking protected species, loud noise and night lights on anchored boats need a permit |
| Rocha do Navio Nature Reserve | North coast at Santana, from Ponta de São Jorge to Ponta do Clérigo, out to the 100 m depth line | 1997 | No spearfishing, no nets |
| Desertas Islands Nature Reserve | About 20 nautical miles south-east of Funchal, sea out to the 100 m depth line | 1990, a nature reserve since 1995 | Landing only with authorisation, a strict reserve in the south, fish traps kept out of seal breeding areas |
| Porto Santo Marine Protected Areas Network | The six islets around Porto Santo and the sea around Ilhéu da Cal and Ilhéu de Cima | 2008 | Use rules set in 2010, covering wrecks such as the ship O Madeirense |
| Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve | About 280 km south of Funchal | 1971 | No fishing or any other extraction out to 12 nautical miles |
The oldest one is older than most people expect. The Selvagens became Portugal's first protected area in 1971. In November 2021 the regional government announced that full protection would reach 12 nautical miles around the islands, about 2,677 km². Regional authorities describe it as the largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe and the North Atlantic.
Over all of this sits a wider layer. The Natura 2000 site Cetáceos da Madeira, created by the European Commission in December 2018, covers about 6,815 km² of sea around Madeira, the Desertas and Porto Santo and protects 13 species listed in the EU nature directives. In June 2026 the regional government ordered a special management programme for it. In 2022 the head of the IFCN, the regional nature service, said that 89% of Madeira's territorial sea had some form of protection.
What does the Cabo Girão marine park protect?
A working coast, not a closed one. Regional Legislative Decree 4/2017/M created it in January 2017 under the cliff, from the 50 metre depth line to 10 metres above the shoreline. It sits in IUCN category VI, which means sustainable use: fishermen still fish, and people still swim, dive and surf there.
What the decree protects is named in the text. It lists maërl beds, which are loose lumps of hard red seaweed that grow very slowly on the seabed and give cover to small animals, and a surf spot that no work may spoil. It bans introducing exotic species, taking protected animals or plants, and throwing out any waste that could harm the sea. It also reaches inland: in the valleys that drain into the park, dumping anything that could wash down into the sea is banned too.
What does protection mean if you only want to swim?
Very little changes for a swimmer. You can swim in all of these areas wherever it is safe. The rules are about taking things out of the sea and disturbing animals. A good code to follow anywhere on this coast:
- Take nothing alive. In Garajau, fishing of any kind is banned outright.
- Do not feed the fish. Garajau's groupers are used to divers and come close without it.
- Leave no rubbish. Under Cabo Girão, dumping solid or liquid waste is banned by law.
- Keep your distance from seals, dolphins and turtles. The same distances apply everywhere in Madeira, protected area or not.
What does it mean for boats?
More than for swimmers. Motor boats may not sail inside the Garajau reserve at all. Under Cabo Girão, boats may pass and stop, but music or noise loud enough to disturb other people or wildlife needs authorisation, and so do lights on anchored boats at night. The park's plan can also set speed limits and anchoring areas.
At the Desertas, landing needs authorisation, and the Selvagens are closed to any fishing. Everywhere, inside protected areas or not, the marine wildlife rules apply: a boat may not move in closer than 50 metres to whales, dolphins or seals, and the time it may spend watching them is capped. Our guide to the rules for watching dolphins in Madeira sets them out.
Which protected areas can you see on a boat trip from Funchal?
From Marina do Funchal the closest is Garajau, just east of the city, but Chifbay's trips head west. The protected stretch you will see is the Cabo Girão marine park, below a cliff often described as one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The Cabo Girão boat tour and both of our trips pass beneath it, and on the Day Trip the boat keeps going west for the swims at Fajã dos Padres and Ribeira Brava.
Is it worth going out of your way for a protected area? That depends on what you want to see. If fish are what you want, book Garajau with a local dive centre. Divers and snorkellers see the most there, and our Garajau Nature Reserve guide has the practical side. For monk seals, the Desertas, on a licensed trip covered in our Desertas Islands guide. For cliffs, deep blue water and a swim along a protected coast, the west is the better choice, and that is where Chifbay goes.
Frequently asked questions
Can you swim in the Garajau marine reserve?
Yes. Swimming and diving are allowed. Fishing of any kind, spearfishing, nets and motor boats are not.
Is fishing allowed under Cabo Girão?
Yes, under the normal regional fishing rules. The marine park, created in 2017, is a sustainable use area, not a no-take zone.
Do you need a permit to visit the Desertas?
Yes. You need IFCN authorisation to land there, which is why most visitors book a licensed day trip from Funchal or Caniçal.
What is the largest marine reserve in Madeira?
The largest fully protected one is the Selvagens, about 280 km south of Funchal, closed to fishing out to 12 nautical miles, about 2,677 km². The Natura 2000 site for whales and dolphins is larger, about 6,815 km², but it is not a no-take reserve.
A protected area is only a line on a chart until the people on the water treat it like one.