Shore Diving from Cascais, Portugal

Set on the sunny beaches due north of Lisbon, Cascais is something of a European Florida, as it is popular with tourists and retiring expatriates alike. When it is associated with outdoor sports, Cascais is usually attached to surfing, yet it is also a place where travelers to Lisbon can tack on a scuba dive or two to their itinerary. Just a five minute walk from the Cascais suburban trail station is a beach with a nice shore dive, and the local dive shop is open for shore diving every day between April and October.

The suitability of the local area for diving becomes apparent from just a brief stroll down the promenade between Estoril and Cascais. Any day when the winds are down and the surf is low is a day when local residents come out with their wetsuits and spearguns, snorkeling the local coves and spearing up the catch of the day for their dinner table. Snorkeling has its problems, however. Visibility off Cascais is rarely higher than 10 feet, making diving a better way to check out the local sea life than snorkeling.

Less than 50 yards off Duchess Beach (Praia da Duquesa) is a reef with depths between 5 and 15 feet. The local area teems with crabs and small schools of fish, as well as the odd cuttlefish. Thus is combines the usual macro diving experience one would expect from such sub-par visibility with fish encounters more expected of clearer waters. Nitrogen-junkies may be turned off by the shallow depths, but keep in mind that shallow waters translate into greatly extended bottom time.

The local dive shop, Exclusive Divers, sits right off Duchess Beach. The staff is made up of a mixture of multi-lingual Germans and Portuguese. One dive with a complete rental kit will cost about 50 euros. It is open every day between April and October, with scheduled dive outings at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Shore divers, however, can come and go as they please if they appear in a group of two or larger.

Duchess Beach is adjacent to the Cascais suburban rail station. Those traveling in from Lisbon for a quick dive should leave the station and walk down the service road running parallel to the rail tracks. If you are on a busy avenue next to a shopping mall, you are on the wrong side. A short walk will bring you to stairs leading down to Duchess Beach.

Sources: Personal Experience