Two sets of lava pools at the island’s north-west corner, a few minutes apart, and only one of them takes money: €3 all year at the Piscinas Naturais, nothing at all at the Cachalote pools beside the restaurant. The municipality’s own figure for the water is 20–21 °C across the year, and it is the only sea temperature on this site from a body with a thermometer in the water. The same concelho runs east along the coast to Seixal, whose black sand got there by itself.
No live camera here
What is here
Each of these is a page on this site about something in this area. The line under it is why you would go, not what the page is called.
The shoreline, as the paperwork describes it
Surface, entry and lifeguard cover, from the 2026 bathing portaria and the municipalities’ own published tariffs.
Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz
Piscinas Naturais do Cachalote
Praia do Porto do Seixal
Piscinas do Clube Naval do Seixal
Praia da Laje
On film
Filmed and published by National Geographic.
Filmed and published by 4k itinerantur.
Getting there
The far corner of the island from Funchal, either over Paul da Serra or round the north coast. Buses 380 / 340 do the trip, and this is a full day whose return you plan before you set out.