Boa Vista · Cabo Verde · Reef
Alcatraz
Islet rocks full of parrotfish, with groupers and turtles deeper
Alcatraz is an islet east of Sal Rei that offers dives at several depths. The shallow rocks are crowded with reef fish, and the deeper dives around the islet bring moray eels, groupers, lobsters and big turtles, with sharks also seen.
Also known as Alcatraz islet.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Boa Vista and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Shallow dives at 7 m stay among rocks full of parrotfish and trumpetfish, with schools of surgeonfish and goatfish passing over them. Deeper dives around the islet go down to 16 m, where moray eels, groupers and lobsters hide in the rock, and big turtles and sharks also turn up.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Boa Vista: Boats run all year; loggerheads mate around the reef rocks Jun–Sep, and rougher winter seas can affect the diving.
Sources
- Diving in Boa Vista – Soul Tours Cabo Verde — Soul Tours Cabo Verde
More dive sites in Boa Vista
Reef
A reef top for newer divers above a vertical drop to sand
Sand slope
A sandy-bottomed site for refreshing basic skills
Reef
Sand tiger sharks and stingrays on a reef that appears at 22 m
Wall
Sand tiger sharks resting inside the caves of the wall
Wreck
An old fishing boat resting on its starboard side
Similar dives elsewhere
Amphitheatre reef in the underwater park, 10–24 m
Large groupers and Canarian lobsters in a maze of rock columns
Easy 8 m to 20 m slope with a resident school of grunts
Six-metre lava formations with schooling barracuda, all inside 18 m