My first snorkeling trip of 2026: Sesimbra


This year, my first snorkeling trip was only in April because I was in Portugal, and the first months of the year are winter, which makes things more challenging. However, it's always possible, especially in Madeira or the Azores.

Normally, I take a trip abroad at that time, but we bought a house on Santa Maria Island in the Azores, and the renovations and the time I've spent there have been focused on it. The house is almost ready, and soon I'll be able to explore one of the best diving spots in the world more thoroughly, not only Santa Maria Island, which has whale sharks in the summer and one of the most incredible devil ray spots (Baixa do Ambrósio), but also the other islands. Besides, the Azores sea has incredible visibility and color.

With all that, when the best weather arrived in mainland Portugal, it was time for the first snorkeling trip of the year (I was already leaving my house in the center of Lisbon and going to the Tagus River just to see water, which clearly demonstrates my need for the sea).

On an April day with good temperature and wind conditions, I chose Sesimbra on the south bank of Lisbon, about 40 km away. Sesimbra is located in a sheltered bay, which is very protected from the wind and even relatively immune to tides, so it's always one of the safest options.

Furthermore, near the pier of Praia do Ouro (more to the right), there is a lot of marine life.



Indeed, for the first of the year, it was excellent; the water was cold, 15/16º, but the 5mm wetsuit was enough to make the experience bearable.




Here's a video of that dive:




I'm also including a video about the differences between snorkeling on the right side of Sesimbra vs. the left side:




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