Corveta Afonso Cerqueira

The Afonso Cerqueira served the Portuguese Navy for four decades before being cleaned and scuttled off Madeira's south coast in September 2018 as an artificial reef. The roughly 85-meter warship settled on sand in the low thirties, and colonization has been quick: schools of bream and jacks stack over the superstructure, morays and octopus have claimed the deck fittings, and rays patrol the surrounding sand. Swim-throughs prepared before sinking give trained divers clean passages through the hull, while the profile suits a straightforward multilevel plan.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: Intact modern warship, prepared swim-throughs, fast-growing fish aggregation

التضاريس: Steel corvette on sand at about 30–33 m below towering sea cliffs

نقطة الدخول: Boat dive on Madeira's south coast near Cabo Girao; a fixed line aids descent when current runs.

المخاطر: Depth is the main factor; penetration only with wreck training and lights. Storm damage can alter the structure over time — follow current briefings.

نيتروكس: يستحق هنا — تقع البروفايلات في النطاق الذي يمدّد فيه النيتروكس وقت التوقف اللاإلزامي بشكل ملموس (بشرط امتلاك التدريب اللازم لاستخدامه).