First-time Scuba Diving Adventure

Yesterday I did my first ever dive in the ocean with Azul Diving, and it was a fantastic experience! It started with a short course on land, then we headed into the water for the real thing. My instructor, Hernan, was brilliant. He explained everything clearly and made me feel safe and relaxed from start to finish, which is exactly what you want as a complete beginner. He paid attention to every detail and was also great fun, so the whole experience was full of laughs. Discovering the underwater world of Madeira was amazing, and I can't wait to do it again. Thank you, Hernan and the Azul Diving team! If you're visiting the island and have never dived before, book this experience. You won't regret it! 🤿

Hernan was great. He is very experienced had was very supportive and patient with us. We had a great experience!!

A heartfelt thank you 🌊💙 We had a wonderful female guide today – unfortunately, I didn’t catch her name. She told us she is from Porto. She was such a warm, friendly and patient person and took wonderful care of all of us throughout the whole experience. While we were snorkeling, she took photos and videos of everyone. The pictures, and especially the videos, turned out absolutely beautiful! 🤿📸 What impressed me most was that she repeatedly dived underwater to capture these amazing moments for us. The videos are truly fantastic and will give us wonderful memories of this special day. A big thank you to our lovely, kind and very attractive guide for making our day so special! 🌊🐠💙

Had an amazing introduction to scuba session today with Azul Diving. All the staff are brilliant especially Hernan and Jessi. My 14 year old daughter was a bit nervous but Hernan was great with her and we all had an amazing time in the ocean.

I honestly was doing this for my husband on our honeymoon. I’m not comfortable in the ocean and I almost backed out twice when we were practicing in the pool. Hernan was amazing and helped me relax and to enjoy the experience. We did the dive and everything was great. I would say I’m nothing close to a natural but I would give it another shot again sometime!

We were so happy with our diving experience at Azul. The team was very knowledgeable, friendly, and safety focused. Marius took us around the waters near the shore and we saw seahorses, octopuses, and many reef fish. The time flew by!

Azul had been recommended by our friends daughter who had done their wreck dive and highly rated the company and dive. Our teens did a 3hr try dive. First pool and then in the sea. Everyone was cheery and engaged and the teens had a great time despite original nerves they made it into the sea and had some great film footage to take home also. Would highly recommend

Had another great diving experience with this year after doing a similar house reef dive with my daughter a couple of years ago. A fun and informative experience ee both enjoyed and left with big smiles after seeing loads underwater escorted by out instructor Jesse. I returned in the afternoon for a wreck and was again well looked after and escorted on a great explore of the purpose sunk wreck teeming with life. This second dive is for qualified divers only.

We had a beginner scuba diving experience with Maria at Azul Diving in Madeira Island. Maria was very patient with us. She was an excellent instructor. She eased my anxieties. And I was able to relax and breathe and enjoy the beautiful fish and the swim.

Azul Diving Center was one of the highlights of my Madeira trip. The team was welcoming. Big thank to Scotty and Miriam, they were brilliant! The guides were knowledgeable, and the whole experience felt smooth from start to finish. Great communication, quality gear, and beautiful dive spots. I’ll definitely dive with them next year! I highly recommend this company! Thanks again guys and see you next year xx

Amazing experience! The instructors (Scotch, Maria and Raffa) were all super friendly and helpful. They gave very clear explanations and checked multiple times if everyone was okay. Each instructor had 3 people. We went with Scotch. First we started in the pool and then we got to the ocean. He made sure everyone felt safe and comfortable and was very patient. Really fun experience, would recommend especially if you’re a bit nervous.

Good service, freindly personell. Saw lots of fish. Large groupers, steems of barracouda, Moureey eel, trumpet fish, squid.

I booked this diving experience with my daughter of 12. Another couple already there so 4 person's in total After a very friendly welcome we got into the wetsuits. Then a very clear and thorough explanation of what to expect and how the equipment works. After practicing (clear, calm and friendly) in the nearby pool we jumped in the sea (20 meter walk). Again calm, friendly and thorough guidance to the sea floor. I felt totally safe and saw that the instructor paid extra attention to my daughter to make sure she felt safe too! We swam around, saw lot's of fish, did some games and the instructor took underwater pictures and videos (for a little extra fee). Highly recommended!

We had a fantastic experience with the "Try Scuba Diving Experience in Funchal" and couldn’t be happier with the team. The dive instructors Rafa & Roberto were incredibly professional, calm, and attentive from start to finish. What really stood out was how patient and reassuring they were with my son, who was quite nervous. They took the time to explain everything clearly and made sure he felt safe and comfortable at every step. Their encouragement and care made a huge difference, and by the end of the session he was more confident and proud of himself. It’s clear that this team genuinely cares about their guests and takes safety and individual needs seriously. We felt well looked after the entire time and came away with an amazing experience and great memories. Highly recommend to anyone—especially families with first-time or nervous divers! Thank you

6 dives in 4 days. Friendly staf and experienced divingguides Roberto, Scotch, Susanne. Lot of marine life with the highlight of the big Stingray hiding in the sand and rocketing off just in front of us. The wreck was also a very interesting and good dive. Thanks to Susanne for good service in choosing right and good equipment and caring diveguiding.

Fitted me out well and we left on time, however waves too big to go to wreck so went to reef which was quick thinking of them so we didn't miss out on a dive. Great for getting back to you quickly on email. Clean and orderly premises and loads of hot water. Check out their website for what to see when diving, I was not disappointed.

Did a double dive at the Garajau Marine Reserve, we were taken out with two Brazilian guys (can’t remember their names) who were great. Really friendly and helpful. Visibility wasn’t great but was great to just get in the water. Can’t expect perfect conditions every dive but still got to see plenty of marine life and the dive was still very enjoyable. Definitely would recommend doing it with Azul if you’re looking to do some diving. It’s a pretty easy dive too for less experienced divers. The dive site is about 10 minutes from the port. Well done

We did the intro to scuba with land training, pool training, and then a "real dive" in the ocean. Our land instructor was really good (45ish minutes). We were a group of six on land, and then we were split four and two for the pool and ocean. Our pool instructor was also good, and patient. Our group turned into three in the ocean. The ocean dive was really good, again he was patient with those having a little difficulty and we still got to see the ocean fish and even an octopus! You are in the ocean about 45 minutes to an hour.

Very interesting and good for the beginners. It was my first time and I had really good time. You should try it if you never try it before

Had a great time with Azul Diving center team! Did the 2 dive trip in the Morning with Esme as our guide. Beautiful sites and good vibes from everyone, also flawless organisation with gear and transport to the boat

My first time diving. Instructor was great and very patient. I never felt unsafe. Plenty of time in ocean.

Really good guides and a great spot for storing your gear during your trip. The boat trips were good fun, even if a little cold in April. The house reef was good and fab during the night dive as we saw a common smooth hound shark. Small enough groups to keep an eye on people and they are good at alerting you about Portuguese man of wars. Very professional team

Awsome experiencr and Thiago was great at teaching us how to dive safely in a short amount of time. I would recommend it for beginners looking for a great diving experience

Great group of dive guides and support staff. They were helpful with storing my dive gear for the three days I dove with them, organized and comfortable dive experience. I highly recommend if you’ll be on Madeira for some scuba diving.

did 2 days of diving and especially the second day in Sao Lorenzo was amazing. Great diving instructor and lots of fish. Instructor really made an effort to show us Octopus, Sting rays, barracudas, etc...

Beginner diver with new open water qualification. Did the reintroduction and nature reserve. Excellent dives. Super friendly instructors. Excellent facilities. Would highly recommend this centre.

Everything was perfect. The instructors Esme, Thiago and the rest of the team were very professional but at the same time made the dive quite funny. The dive at Garajau reserve is a must; lot of live!! Next time I’ll repeat with them for sure!

We had an absolut blast doing the test scuba dive. Our guide Hernan, was funny, informative, and very lovely! He told us how to use the equipment, we did a test dive in a shallow pool, and then dived down to 11m at the coast. He also filmed with his GoPro, and offered the videos for a small price (we got 30 really cool videos!). We felt very safe and defintelt got hooked onto diving. If we come back to madeira, we will 100% book with those guys again!

What an amazing experience. From point of booking back home to walking away with big smiles. Both of us went with our 13yr old for an experience we won’t forget. All the staff was helpful, Rafa did the induction which put all of our nerves at ease then we went off 3 to an instructor. Tiago was ours, he settled in our suits and away we went, he was very patience, precise and knowledgeable. Sea experience was second to none, we saw all sorts underneath and had a superb time. Great introduction to scuba that’s potential for us going to turn into a hobby. To all the staff a big thanks, very well organised, polite and happy to help.

Would 100% recommend the team at Azul, and if we were here more than 3 days would have gone again! We worked with Rafa and he was 'Chef's Kiss'. This was my first time diving outside of my certification and he was patient, attentive, and made the dive a good transition. Really appreciated all the help.

Signed up teenage daughter for scuba diving experience. She had a fantastic time with Nico, who was absolutely the best instructor! THANK YOU NICO! She was so pleased to see all the sea creatures that she did.

Very good experience, very nice people. Our flight was canclelled, so we coudn't come on the specific day, but they rebooked our appointment on follownig day with no cost. Highly recomend! Kris

We had the best time on our dive trip with Azul. We saw monk seals from the boat and lots of fish, octopus and critters underwater. Nico and Vlad took care of everything and we felt really safe and looked after. Would love to do this trip again if we had more time.

This was absolutely amazing! It was my first time diving. The instructors, Scoty and Dorothy are so friendly, kind, knowledgable and patient. The preliminary verbal instructions were clear and unambiguous. The time in the swimming pool was great as it helped to gain confidence, before we went into the sea. This was obviously the best bit and we saw loads of beautiful fish and one gorgeous seahorse! Highly recommended!

We dived with Dorothy and it was amazing experience,she was really nice and explained everything. We felt safe with her all the time and the ocean was beautiful.

We dived with Doro, it was our first diving experience and it was an absolut blast! She was super kind, helpful and professional, everything went smooth as butter. Highly recommend if you want to try diving!

The worst dive shop I’ve ever dealt with. Azul Dive Center is dangerous, unprofessional, and run by people who should not be trusted with anyone’s life. The gear is absolute junk, it’s old, falling apart, barely functional. Regulators leaking, BCDs in terrible condition, and wetsuits that look like they’ve been through ten years of abuse and smelled like they’ve been marinating in urine the entire time. This isn’t worn-in, this is straight-up unsafe and disgusting. The dive practices here are reckless and flat-out terrifying. No proper safety checks, no real dive briefings, no concern for basic standards. I watched a diver get separated from the group, and the staff barely reacted. They act like losing track of people underwater is normal. The staff is rude, arrogant, and completely dismissive. They don’t care if you have concerns. They don’t care if the gear is faulty. They don’t care about your safety. If you speak up, expect eye rolls, sarcasm, or to be completely ignored. I’ve been diving for 15years, and I’ve never felt so unsafe or disrespected. Avoid this place at all costs. You’re gambling with your life if you dive with Azul.

I can’t recommend azul diving enough. Tiago and Scotch were very professional and friendly , and everyone with no exception at the school was fantastic ( apologies as I don’t remember everyone’s name.)

Rafa tended to our every need and did all he could to help or family have an enjoyable experience. Highly recommended!

Had a great time with my first ever dive! Our instructor Scotch was a fantastic teacher and a super nice guy. Very patient with my partner and I as we learned how to scuba dive. The water was amazingly clear and we saw quite a few octopi and even a huge ray! Highly recommended.

We were a group of first-trys but the impatient instructor sent me back because I couldn't figure out technique quickly

I booked a 10 dive package with Azul Dive Centre. All advance emails answered promptly and helpfully by Diane. Everyone was very friendly and helpful when I arrived. The dive guides and skippers couldn't have been more knowledgeable and professional with clear briefings. I saw so much marine life and the Afonso wreck is amazing! Equipment was top notch and I thoroughly enjoyed my diving. Thanks to Roberto, Travago, Chico, Esme, Nico, Marco, Billy and Remy for being so wonderfully kind, beautiful people. And Diane at reception! Apologies if I have mispelt any names.

First trip to Madeira. Did 7 dives in total with Azul and they impressed with their relaxed nature as well as professionalism. Most of the dives we did were boat ones and just one day had a couple too many on the boat I would say as not quite enough room to comfortably kit up. Everything else was perfect, Billy, Roberto and Remy were all great guides and we saw a good mix of sea life from a small shark down to cleaner shrimps. Would definitely recommend and will use again next time we are in Madeira.

Two super doves So friendly and very qualified Thanks 🤗 Everything worked perfectly and above all - they had a responsible approach to diving

It was my first experience with diving so I didn't know what to expect but thanks to the guys from Azul Diving Center it was an unforgettable one! The lesson started with the introduction and the theory of diving. Then we got our gear - the wetsuits, flippers, oxygen tank (this one is really heavy!) and proceeded to the swimming pool part of the lesson. We practiced swimming, turning and breathing with the gear. They taught us some of the signals we might need underwater in case of any emergency. After that we went to the ocean to experience diving for real. It was so much fun! The groups are really small - three people and one instructor. I felt safe at all times, the instructor was really helpful. We spent almost 40 minutes at the depth of 11,5 metres and were able to see the spectacular views and marine life.

Professional, friendly and knowledgeable team. Made for a fun and safe experience! Great to be able to have a hot shower after and purchase photos from the dive. Theo was great.

Excellent from start to finish. Professional yet personable trainers. Great communication. I had full confidence with all concerned and enjoyed the experience even more than I thought I would. Many thanks.

one of the best experiences i’ve ever done definitely recommend when travelling to madeira our dive instructor esme was great taught us everything we needed to know no messing around and straight into the sea 35 minutes diving time amazing highly recommend

FANTASTIC! We cannot say enough about this experience. The ocean scene was stunning. Theo was a competent and skillful instructor. We highly recommend doing this.