Gunnery and boarding broke the coalition center

In Diu's calm water, Portuguese gunners fired at the surface so shot skipped into hulls near the waterline. Their broadside-armed carracks could sustain artillery fire that the coalition's bow-and-stern-armed galleys struggled to answer. Vice Admiral Nuno Vaz Pereira boarded Husayn's flagship and was killed when a second Mamluk ship joined the fight. Rear Admiral Francisco de Távora then crossed the connected ships, captured both opponents, and preserved the momentum of the attack while Husayn escaped.