Never encouraged
No swimming to the cave, flotation-aid access, unguided rental approach, landing on cave sand or entry from the roof opening.
Method
Authority first. No unsafe inference.
The maritime authority owns access rules and restrictions. We explain what those notices mean for trip choices, then hand every live decision back to the authority and compliant operator.
Rules checked
Edital 019/2024, amendment 009/2025 and the separate landing-licence Edital 001/2026 were reviewed 13 July 2026. The 2026 notice does not replace the cave-navigation rules; the live Portimão notice page remains the final check.
Live facts stay live
Closures, sea state, operator status, bus times and trail restrictions are never presented as future guarantees.
Commercial boundary
A disclosed, optional stay map appears only after the safe base decision. A cancellation or land-based alternative remains a valid outcome.