Faro is the Algarve’s coastal city, this hub of this well-loved holiday region. It is an attractive, Moorish city, with long, hot summers and lots of gorgeous countryside and some of Europe’s best beaches to explore around it. But if you want to see another side to the Algarve, join a Faro scuba diving trip.
There are plenty of good dive sites around Faro, with a diverse range of marine life and fauna to see, and several interesting wrecks. The sea bed is rocky, with natural and artificial reefs to explore. Visibility can reach as high as 15m in summer, when the water temperature is in the low twenties. In cooler weather, the visibility drops to around 5m.
The marine life around Faro and the Algarve is typical of the Atlantic. Look out for tuna, barracuda, eels, rays and occasionally even dolphins. Fish cluster around the area’s underwater cliffs and reefs. Coral and sea sponges create colour. While this isn’t Thailand, there is plenty to see.
Some of the best diving is to be found around the area’s wrecks. They include the Ipimar, an intentionally sunk fishing trawler which lies on the sandy bottom at around 30m. It teems with life: covered in sea anemones and with big schools of bream and other fish. There is also the B-24 Liberator, a shot-down American World War Two bomber aircraft. It lies at around 20m and is still pretty intact, with its engines and propellers easily seen. It’s home to eels and shellfish, including lobsters.
Travel through the waters of the Atlantic with a Faro scuba diving trip. You’ll discover the area’s rich underwater world, and see much more than most Algarve tourists ever will. And the beaches will still be there to chill out on at the end of your dive.
