Garajau is the Portuguese popular name for the common tern, a small marine bird relatively common on the island. It’s also the name of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) located south of Madeira Island and the story behind its creation is an inspiring one. A group of local citizens, concerned by the rapid loss of biodiversity and abundance of marine life in the coastal waters of the island, started pressuring the regional government to do something to slow down unsustainable local fishing practices. They proposed the creation of the Garajau MPA. Given its prime location on the south side of the island, only a few minutes from the capital of Funchal, it is sheltered from the prevailing winds from the north and sports a noticeable biological richness and crystal-clear waters all year round. These key ingredients were enough to convince the local regional government to officially declare it a protected area in 1986. They named it the Garajau Natural Reserve and it was the first exclusively Marine Protected Area in Portugal.

Once declared a natural reserve, all extracting activities, such as fishing and spearfishing, were prohibited which led to an increased abundance and diversity of marine life. As a result, watersports became more popular, and more and more scuba divers and snorkellers were attracted to the area which stretches along the coastline for 6 miles and reaches depths of 50 metres. Madeira is composed of rocky cliffs and, at sea level, the coast is made up of small pebble beaches interspersed with rocky areas and caves. Much of this substrate has steep slopes, and several rocky platforms, some of which have various enclaves that become tide pools during low tide when the platforms are submerged.

The seafloor is mostly rocky, with irregular reefs and outcrops down to approximately 30 metres. Beyond that, sandy flats as far as the eye can see reach into the deep. The Garajau Natural Reserve has worked as a natural laboratory for science, and numerous studies, mostly led by researchers of the local university, have been developed in the area, particularly about marine life and the impact that the creation of the marine reserve has had. All studies conclude that the marine reserve led to an increase in the abundance and mean size of fish and invertebrates, playing a critical role in the protection of marine life. They also argue that it is an important breeding ground for several species, contributing to the maintenance of local aquatic populations and the health of the region’s marine ecosystems.

This very abundance of marine life and supposedly pristine ecosystem is precisely what many scuba divers and ocean lovers look for. As such, the word ‘Garajau’ has spread relatively fast among the scuba diving community worldwide. Getting to Garajau is quite easy: all dive operators that are spread around the island go to the marine reserve by boat on a daily basis. Booking a couple days in advance is advised, so that dive operators can book a slot. “Only a small number of boats are allowed at a time inside the MPA, and dive operators are required to pay a small fee for each diver to the Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza (Forests and Nature Conservation Institute),” says Pedro Gomes, owner of Scorpio, one of the dive operators in Madeira. “The institute regulates, monitors, and supervises diving activities in the MPAs of Madeira. The fees applied are an important contribution to the financial effort needed to carry out this work,” adds Paulo Oliveira, member of this institution’s Directive Council.

Visitors can also access Garajau via road. The main beach is located on the bottom of a cliff which can be reached with a cable car that operates from the top of the hill, located 200 metres above. The ride down to the beach is smooth and takes less than five minutes.

One of the best diving spots in Garajau is located approximately 50 metres from the beach and can be easily accessed by swimming to the big red buoy which marks the place to descend. As we follow the line down, large rocky boulders and sandy areas begin to emerge 15 metres below the surface. Some small size schooling fish show up in the water column to inspect the human invaders, before disappearing into the blue, as quickly as they showed up. When we arrive at the bottom, the effects of the protection in these waters become clear. Marine life is booming and there’s movement everywhere. Azores chromis and ornate wrasses stand out as the most abundant fish species. These relatively small, though brightly-coloured fish are a reminder that we’re not that far away from the tropics in Madeira. When the visibility is over 20 metres, which is relatively common in the area, it’s clear that most marine life tends to hang around the large rocky boulders. On the sandy bottom, divers can find some different life forms such as large goatfish, often hanging in large groups, flatfish and stingrays. The latter are usually partially buried in the sand, and it is possible to get really close to them before they realise they’ve been spotted and quickly take off. While still on the sand, we spot numerous thin and elongated shapes projecting out of the sand, just a few metres ahead. They go up and down in a gracious movement, bending forward when sticking out, making the most of the gentle water flow. As we approach, they disappear instantly into the seafloor, before returning again once divers leave the area. Shy at first, they quickly regain their confidence and resume their ‘dance’. “Did you see the garden eels?,” asks Gomes after our dive.

Leaving the sandy bottom behind, we approach the rocky boulders. As they get closer, an intense movement starts, as fish start swimming away, feeling the human presence. A large school of bastard grunts starts to swim away from one of the rocky overhangs and moves to deeper waters, while some sea breams move in the opposite direction, heading closer to the shallows. Small pufferfish are also present, looking clumsy and swimming awkwardly, yet effectively away from us. At a distance, a couple of trumpetfish, apparently stationary, seem to control all operations around them, keeping a safe distance. Scanning the surface of the rocky boulders, I spot small blennies and gobies, and the Madeira rockfish, a scorpionfish that was originally described in this island.

Getting too close to the rocks isn’t advisable as they are covered with a beautiful yet stinging white hydroid that can cause unpleasant rashes if gloves are not on your gear list. While cruising between the rocky boulders, one of the most iconic fish species suddenly shows up – the beautiful barred hogfish. This species is endemic to Macaronesia, a group of islands composed of Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verde and the Azores. The fish is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List – a result of several decades of overfishing, its reputation as a trophy in sport fishing and spearfishing, and its very limited geographic distribution. One of the most curious things about this species is that it presents sexual dimorphism, a condition where the male and female exhibit different colour patterns.

Additionally, the species is a sequential hermaphrodite, which means it changes sex at some point of their life. In this case, barred hogfish are born as females, eventually turning into males once adult. This biological feature makes this species even more susceptible to extinction as large animals are usually the targeted ones. This will greatly impact the sex ratio, compromising the survival of the species. Parrotfish, cow bream, blacktail comber and some interesting invertebrates such as arrow crabs and giant anemones are also common around the rocky substrates. In the water column, we observe schools of small and larger fish such as bogues, mackerel, almaco jacks and yellowmouth barracudas.

The main attraction, however, are the famous dusky groupers. Weighing over 50 kilogrammes and measuring up to 1.5 metres in length, they are the stars of the show and the main reason why so many divers travel to Madeira. Once common throughout its original distribution range which includes Atlantic Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, the African coast and south Brazil, after decades of intense fishing pressure that pushed its population to frighteningly low numbers, this species is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List. Today, to see these majestic giants, divers most likely have to go to MPAs, otherwise the odds of finding them are extremely narrow. The groupers of Garajau are so used to divers being around, that they frequently get extremely close, in what divers describe as “puppy-like behaviour”. “It’s the climax of this dive! People come out of the water ecstatic,” says Gomes. “Nowadays, it’s possible to see five or six different animals in one dive alone. So, I’d say it’s guaranteed that you’ll see them,” he adds.

Just like the hogfish, dusky groupers are sequential hermaphrodite. Originally females, they turn to males when they reach approximately 90 cm; the length of sex inversion varies with location. In Garajau, it’s clear that males and females are present as the fish sizes here range from approximately 40 cm to well over 1 metre in length. This is a clear indicator of a healthy ecosystem and shows that protection measures are working.

MPAs like the one here in Madeira play a crucial role in ocean conservation. The ocean would benefit from many more of them, if we want dusky groupers, hogfish and the other species we encountered on our dive to be around for more years to come.