Ponta de Sao Lourenco
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Madeira's eastern peninsula trails off into the Atlantic as a line of bare volcanic ridges, and the seabed continues the same geometry: dykes, arches and boulder chaos washed by clean oceanic water. Fish traffic is busier here than on the sheltered coast — schools of bogue and bream, hunting jacks and barracuda, big stingrays in the sand channels — because the point catches whatever the open sea pushes past. Conditions decide everything; on calm days it is the island's most scenic diving, and when swell runs the boats simply go elsewhere.
The moment you come for: Raw volcanic topography, pelagic traffic at the point, uncrowded sites
Topography: Dramatic volcanic ridges, arches and boulder fields at the island's eastern tip
Entry: Boat dives from Machico or Canical along Madeira's exposed eastern peninsula; sites are chosen to match the day's swell.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Exposure to swell and current; entries and exits can be sporty in anything but calm weather.
Conservation: The peninsula and surrounding waters are protected landscape; anchoring is restricted.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting