A week-long swim tour around this subtropical paradise? Yes, it’s hard work, but someone’s got to do it!
Our swim guide, Mayra Santos, is balanced on a rock inside a beautiful cave, hewn out of the rugged Madeira coastline. Gro-Pro in hand, she shouts, ‘Everyone look happy!’ We are happy – wildly so! How could we not be? We’re on a week-long swim tour around this subtropical archipelago, where the azure sea is warm and crystal clear in every direction, with an abundance of marine life to marvel at. Isn’t this what dreams are of?
The largest island in a small, Atlantic archipelago, Madeira is actually the tip of a dormant volcano, just 35 miles long and 14 miles wide. For such a small island, there’s amazing variety here, from jagged peaks in the north to lush landscapes and sunny beaches further south.
Upon arrival, as we made our way to the island’s capital, Funchal, we drove past rows of eucalyptus and African tulip trees, with bright red flowers, interspersed with clusters of purple shrubs and palm trees. We stayed at Vila Baleria, in the heart of Funchal’s Lido area, a short walk from the city centre, with plenty of excellent restaurants, and a pool overlooking the sea for some restful ‘après-swim’.
Madeira welcomes all kinds of adventure enthusiasts, including hikers, whale watchers, scuba divers, mountain bikers and more. But enough of all that: we came to swim!
Our guide, Mayra Santos, is not only the driving force behind Swim Madeira, she’s also an extraordinary swimmer herself, with a number of impressive accolades to her name, including the first woman to swim between the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira. In other words, we were in very safe hands.
We met Mayra on Day One at the Garajau Nature Reserve, where she welcomed us to Madeira and promised that we were in for some unforgettable swims. Impatient to start, we leapt into the dazzling blue water and took our first strokes.
One challenge of swim tours is adapting to the speed and stamina of other people in your group who you’ve never met before. The members of our group arrived with various levels of experience and confidence, but Mayra ensured that no one was left behind or felt under pressure to keep up with the faster swimmers.
The sea was calm and we took our time to explore this new underwater world. I’ve been lucky to swim in seas all over the world, but this was something else. The water felt different here, refreshing and light, more like a freshwater lake than the Atlantic Ocean. This was also the clearest water I’ve experienced, thanks to the low concentration of nutrients, which allows the light to reach further down towards the seabed.
In total, we swam 4km at a leisurely pace, constantly fascinated by the marine life, stopping on our return journey to swim with a shoal of multicoloured fish, who seemed equally fascinated by us, nibbling at our hands and feet as we swam.
After some excellent local food and a deep sleep, we met Mayra the next day in the beautiful port of Marina da Quinta do Lorde, with just enough time for a strong black coffee before jumping on a big yellow rib. What followed was a fast and furious journey around the island to Madeira’s northeast coast, where we arrived at an intriguing cave amidst the jagged rocks.
This part of Madeira is a well-known spot for whale and dolphin watching. Mayra had already let us down and explained that we probably wouldn’t have any close encounters so close to shore, but that didn’t stop my heart rate shooting up and adrenaline surging around my body at every subtle change of light below the surface.
During our week in Madeira, most people wore swim shorts or costumes, but I opted for an Orca Vitalis ‘shorty’ wetsuit. While the waters were warm – 20 degrees C for the most part – the wetsuit gave me extra confidence and the space to work on technique without having to worry about staying afloat. The key is to wear what makes you feel safe and comfortable. No need to follow the crowd here. Best focus on ‘feeling’ the part – not ‘looking’ the part – when you’re swimming in open water!
We had an unforgettable week in Madeira. In addition to the swims, we had a go at high-speed mountain biking and some Jeep touring through the mountains, learning more about this volcanic landscape and the island’s culture. We also splashed out on a very special dinner at Akua, an ultra-cool restaurant in Funchal. If you’re travelling to Madeira, you must experience it for yourself!
Before flying home, I met Mayra for one last swim. This time, we set out from Praia de Riberia de Natal, a beach on the eastern tip of Madeira, where we swam together for an hour or so in almost uninterrupted silence, desperate to take everything in and reluctant for the experience to end.
But perhaps the end is only a pause. After all, our next trip is already in the making – a much longer swim from Madeira to the island of Desertas, a distance of 30km. And yes, before you ask, Mayra has already swum there and back, non-stop!
With over 30 years as a freelance journalist, I happily indulge my love of outdoor swimming where and whenever he can. Every now and then, I’m lucky enough to see my articles published in the swimming and travel press. I try and live by the idea of ‘do something you wouldn’t expect yourself to do’.