The Summer Olympics put France more squarely in the European spotlight than usual. But as a diver, my favorite fun and games on the continent have always played out in Portugal. It offers the headiest mix of fish-filled shipwrecks, artificial reefs and even megafauna encounters with mobulas and whale sharks in the Azores, which, more than 900 miles off the coast of Lisbon, look like Hawaii was moved to the Atlantic Ocean. Then there’s the European topside culture to enjoy too.

Earlier this year, I was on a trip arranged by Portugal Dive, a company that designs bespoke diving tours around Portugal with a deep sense of place and great topside activities in the mix. I finally made it to Madeira, volcanic islands closer to the coast of North Africa than mainland Portugal that can be reached in less than two hours via direct flights from Lisbon. Next stop: shipwrecks.

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Just offshore from the buzzing capital city, Funchal, we descended the bowline of the Corveta Afonso Cerqueira. Purposely sunk in 2018 to form an artificial reef, the 280-foot-long, 100-foot deep former Portuguese naval ship is a magnet for schooling amberjack, trevally and bream. I followed the guide as we finned into the engine room, cafeteria and kitchen.

In the warmer waters of neighboring Porto Santo—a 2.5-hour ferry ride from Funchal—the Atlantic Ocean gets as clear as the Caribbean and another great wreck awaits. Sunk within a marine protected area, the Corveta General Pereira d’Eça was busy with trumpetfish, barracuda, parrotfish and giant grouper. The wreck strikes an imposing silhouette that’s a photographer favorite, with anti-aircraft guns and anchor chains dropping gloomily down to the seafloor.

When I wasn’t underwater with Porto Santo Sub or Cipreia Dive Club, you’d find me in my other favorite European habitat—soaking up the good life topside.

I’d towel off in one of the island’s beautiful fishing villages like Camara de Lobos to sip my new favorite après-dive drink, the Nikita—it’s the most delightful mix of vanilla ice cream, fresh pineapples, and beer or white wine. (Just trust me on this one.) I feasted on espetada, the local meat specialty of beef chunks skewered on bay leaf branches and grilled over an open flame, best washed down with the local Atlantis rosé wine. But my most memorable Madeira topside moment had to be shrieking like a kid on a roller coaster within a wicker-basket–style sled being pushed by two skilled men down the steep streets of Funchal (indeed, street tobogganing is a thing in these parts).

In the Venn diagram of everything I love about Europe and diving, Portugal still sits at the center.