Dive down and simply enjoy it: anyone who wants to explore the underwater world of Cape Verde has plenty of dive sites to choose from across several islands. Sal, Boa Vista and Santiago in particular are known for good diving, and this is where most of the dive sites and dive centres are. There are fine spots on Santo Antão, Maio and Fogo too. The range of dive sites in Cape Verde is varied enough that divers of any level can put together a good trip. And if you have never dived before, Cape Verde is a good place for your first dive.
Barely developed, with excellent spots
Cape Verde is still little developed, and diving there is only just coming into its own. Even so, there are several professional dive centres running certified, safe diving trips. Because the waters around Cape Verde have seen comparatively few divers so far, the experience is all the more striking: you drop into an untouched underwater world and enjoy nature in peace. The sea is usually pleasantly warm. Alongside coral you will often meet turtles, larger fish species, rays and (harmless) sharks. Cave and wreck dives are possible as well. Many of the dive sites also lie close together, so you can visit several on a single trip.
Tip! On Sal, Cabo Verde Diving offers various options, for example a taster dive, a half day of diving or more advanced trips. The dive gear and the rest of the equipment are in good condition. The guides speak good English and have plenty to tell you about the marine life and nature you see on the dive.
Learning to dive or taking your PADI in Cape Verde
There are several schools in Cape Verde where you can do an introductory dive or gain your PADI. If you have never dived, you can start with a taster dive. You do not need to complete a course first: after a short theory session and a session in the pool, you can already do your first real dive.
If you want to take your PADI, allow around two days for it. These days do not have to be consecutive. There is some theory involved, but you can often work through those lessons at home, online and at your own pace. After that come a few pool sessions in which you get to know the full set of dive gear. With the Scuba Diver PADI you may dive to a depth of 12 metres together with the instructor. In Cape Verde you can also take the Open Water Diver PADI. That course usually takes three to four days, after which you may dive to 18 metres with a dive buddy or an instructor.
The islands have dive sites for every level. You discuss with the dive centre which spots to head for, so that the trip is tailored to your own level and wishes. There are also plenty of beautiful reefs that are easy to reach and not deep. Do make sure you always choose a good dive centre with certified instructors. Anyone who cannot dive and does not want to learn should consider snorkelling, which also works very well around the islands.
Enormous variety: coral, turtles and colourful fish
Diving in Cape Verde brings you – depending on the island – lovely stretches of coral and an impressive variety of marine life. It is precisely this wildlife that makes the dives so special: underwater you will often encounter turtles and various shark species, such as nurse sharks and hammerheads. Manta rays, large groupers, barracuda, tuna and other colourful tropical fish pass by regularly too. Beyond that you may spot pufferfish, parrotfish, trumpetfish (Aulostomus), sea slugs (Nudibranchia) and frogfish (Antennariidae). Between March and May, with a little luck, humpback whales as well.
Turtle watching and other trips can be arranged through our tours and excursions.
April to November is ideal
According to most dive centres and experts, the best time to dive around Cape Verde is from April to November. Ultimately you can dive all year round, though you occasionally have to reckon with a little more wind and therefore poorer visibility. The water temperature is fairly constant, between 27 degrees in summer and 20 degrees in winter. On some islands the water can be colder, which is why people often dive in a 7 mm wetsuit in winter and a 5 mm wetsuit in summer. Because of where the islands lie, there is regular wind and there are currents in the sea. There are always enough alternative sites, however, where the current is weaker.
Wrecks and caves
Adventurous divers can also go wreck diving in the waters around Sal. There you will find several old shipwrecks, beautifully coloured by rust. The ships lie on the seabed because the islands were often used as a stopover for merchant vessels and pirates in the past. Slave traders’ ships frequently called at Cape Verdean ports too.
The islands are volcanic in origin, which has created many rock faces, tunnels and caves. The Buracona cave and the Regona tunnels on Sal in particular are a must for many divers. The Cavala wall off Sal is a spectacular dive for experienced divers as well. The rock face begins at 28 metres and drops away to 68 metres.
The “Blue Eye” at Buracona on Sal
Among the better-known dive sites in Cape Verde is the cave dive off Sal at Buracona. The easiest entry lies 23 metres down. The cave itself offers fascinating plays of light.
Also off Sal is the Boris wreck, a Russian freighter scuttled in 2006, which now provides a home for stingrays, groupers and many other fish. The finest dive site on Santo Antão is called “Wish You Were Here”, or “WYWH” for short. It is a reef at a depth of six to twelve metres.
Diving on the island of Sal
There are around 18 dive sites around Sal where you can see coral and very colourful fish. Four of those 18 are shipwrecks, described in more detail below. There are also about four caves you can visit from Sal.
The best-known dive site on Sal is the volcanic Buracona cave, also known as the “Blue Eye”. It is a cave on the west coast of Sal with an opening at the top – when the sun shines in, the result is a spectacular play of light. The Regona tunnels and caves are also very popular with experienced divers. In the tunnels you meet plenty of colourful fish and crustaceans.
Tres Grotes is a group of three easily reached caves off the coast of Sal. The three lie close together at a depth of around 18 metres. Each has its own particular features and different marine creatures living there. Among other things you will see trumpetfish, turtles and lobster, surrounded by coral.
The wreck of the ship Santo Antão has lain at a depth of 14 metres off Sal since 1966. Because of that depth it is a relatively accessible wreck, within reach of divers of all levels. Colourful shoals of fish swim around the roughly 55-metre wreck, and you can also see manta rays, moray eels and stingrays there. The wreck has broken into three parts and can partly be entered.
Another wreck off the coast of Sal is the Russian ship Kwarcit, also called Boris. This wreck of a fishing boat lies at a depth of around 28 metres and was deliberately sunk in 2006 to encourage an artificial coral reef. The vessel had been used by migrants from Senegal but ran into difficulties off the Cape Verdean coast. The wreck is easy to access; you can look inside the bridge and the hold, among other parts. Most of these sites are run as guided trips from Santa Maria. You can see availability and prices for dive trips on Sal in advance.
Diving on the island of Boa Vista
Boa Vista has around 18 dive sites too, two of them shipwrecks. Because Sal and Boa Vista lie next to each other, you can also visit many of the Sal sites listed above from Boa Vista. Diving off Boa Vista brings you mainly larger marine animals such as turtles, harmless shark species and manta rays. The sea around Boa Vista is somewhat rougher in winter, though. If conditions are too wild, calmer sites can be used instead. What is special about these waters is that humpback whales can also be seen from March to May.
Atlantida is a good spot for beginners on Boa Vista. The reef lies at a depth of about 10 metres, where you can see scorpionfish, large shoals of king fish, lobster and moray eels hiding in small crevices.
The wreck of the former fishing boat Taliarte lies at a depth of around 10 metres and is therefore fairly easy to reach. Numerous shoals of goatfish, sea bass and sergeant major fish swim around the rusted wreck. Smaller, colourful creatures such as sea slugs and crabs like to settle here too. With a little luck you will also see the remarkable frogfish (Antennariidae).
Diving on the island of São Vicente
There are around 13 dive sites around São Vicente, one of them a wreck. The 80-metre wreck of the São Macário lies at a depth of about 15 metres off the bay of Mindelo. Fish that like to gather there include pufferfish, large shoals of goatfish, moray eels and colourful sea slugs.
The coral area at Fateixa is a popular spot too, thanks to its rich underwater life and calm water. Ponta da Doca offers a bit of everything: a wall at 10 to 30 metres, caves, rocks and coral. The surroundings mean you can see a great many different marine creatures here, including plenty of manta rays. Diving at the Djeu site also brings you large groups of fish and possibly barracuda and tuna.
Diving on Santiago
On Santiago the dive sites are in Tarrafal. For beginners, the King Fisher Reef and the 7-up site are good places for a first dive. You go down to around 18 metres and can enjoy fine coral reef. The Colonato site offers a rocky landscape with several small caves that you can also dive into. At 20 metres you will see various species of octopus and sometimes stingrays as well.