Cabo Verde · Cabo Verde · Wall · Reef · Cave & cavern
Cavala
A wall that starts at 28 m and keeps dropping
Area photo: Charlotte Kirchner · CC BY 4.0
Cavala is a boat-only wall off Sal for experienced divers. The top of the wall is already at 28 metres and the recreational dive runs to 40, with the rock continuing well past that into water no sport diver should follow. Reef and cavern ground sits alongside the wall, and schools of jackfish, rays, turtles, sharks, dolphins and whales are all recorded here.
Where it is and how deep
16.5751° N, 22.9132° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
There is no shore option here: you arrive by boat and go straight down, because the dive does not begin until 28 metres. The wall picks up at that depth and drops away below you, and the recreational plan turns at 40 metres while the rock itself carries on to around 65. Set your maximum before you leave the boat rather than deciding on the way down, and treat the first few minutes as the deepest part of the dive.
Along the wall the ground mixes reef and cavern with the drop-off, so there is structure to work as well as blue water to watch. Schools of jackfish are the fish you look out into the open for, and rays, turtles and sharks are all on the site's list, with dolphins and whales recorded here too. Come back up the wall as your no-stop time shortens and finish shallow rather than trying to squeeze the depth.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
- Dolphins
- Whales
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Cabo Verde: Apr–Jun and Oct–Nov bring the calmest seas and best visibility; Jul–Sep swell affects exposed sites, and Jan–Feb trade winds cool the water.
Know before you go
- The wall starts at 28 m and continues to about 65 m, so it is easy to drift deeper than planned: agree a hard maximum, watch gas, and use the shallower reef for the end of the dive.
Dive videos
Cavala dive site on the island of Sal in Cape Verde · Mark Gosling on YouTube
Cavala Cape Verde · Bazz Morgan on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Cavala dive?+
The wall begins at 28 metres and the dive is planned to a maximum of 40. The rock keeps dropping to roughly 65 metres, which is beyond recreational limits and not part of the dive.
Do I need advanced certification for Cavala?+
Yes. The site is described as suitable for experienced divers only, and with the shallowest ground at 28 metres there is no shallow alternative if you are not deep-qualified.
Sources
- Cavala Dive Site - Cape Verde — PADI Travel
In The Logbook
- Gas density: why deep air gets hard to breatheBody & health · 8 min read
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