{"id":55609,"date":"2025-12-06T23:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T20:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/beaches-on-madeira\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T12:28:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T09:28:42","slug":"beaches-on-madeira","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/en\/beaches-on-madeira\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to swim in Madeira – beaches, natural pools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Beaches in Madeira \u2013 where to swim on Madeira Island and Porto Santo. Sandy beaches \u2013 with yellow and black volcanic sand, pebble beaches, lava pools.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people say Madeira isn’t about a beach holiday, I want to say\u2014it’s not that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, Madeira is about mountains, incredible nature, beautiful ocean, hiking trails. But if you add the opportunity to swim in the sea to all this variety, it just becomes a perfect trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, here\u2019s a complete list of beaches, lava pools, and places to swim. And at any time of year\u2014we swam in the ocean in January and it was pure delight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TOP-10 in Madeira \u2013 for visit for the first time<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When you can swim in the ocean in Madeira<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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All year round, as long as you\u2019re not looking for +30\u2103 water )))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ocean water temperature near Madeira ranges from +15 to 25\u2103 throughout the year thanks to the climate and the island\u2019s location. Take advantage of your stay in Madeira to relax on the beaches, and why not swim in the ocean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also swim in Madeira in winter<\/strong>. I swam even on the north of the island at Seixal beach. The water was +19\u2103, the air temperature about the same. It was a thrill, but psychologically, it\u2019s hard to get into the water. But then you get used to it quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tides on Madeira<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When swimming on Madeira\u2019s beaches, you need to check the tide schedule. By the way, tides aren’t dependent on where you are on the island, but only on the lunar phase and time of day. Therefore, the schedule for Funchal will be the schedule for the whole -3 GMT time zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On sandy<\/strong> beaches, it\u2019s better during low tide<\/strong>, when the beach gets bigger. And on pebble<\/strong> beaches, it\u2019s better during high tide<\/strong>: there\u2019s no seaweed smell and less chance of slipping. During daylight, the water level can change by up to 3 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of a website to check the tide schedule on Madeira: www.tide-forecast.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural lava pools in Madeira<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lava natural pools<\/strong> are located by the shore and are filled with ocean water during storms. Natural pools on Madeira can be found in several places, namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n