Dakar & Ngor · Senegal · Wall
Grand Tiouriba
Gorgonian fields at 35 to 40 m, with rays and tuna passing
Area photo: Jeff Attaway from Abuja, Nigeria · CC BY 2.0
Grand Tiouriba is a rocky drop-off off the Dakar peninsula, dived deep: Oceanium gives 35 to 40 m and lists French Level 2 for it. Gorgonian fields grow on the rock at that depth, and the club says rays and tuna are frequently met over them. It is one of the two natural sites it names alongside the Madeleine islands.
Where it is and how deep
14.6135° N, 17.3888° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
This is a deep dive on rock. The site is a tombant — a rocky drop-off — and the working range Oceanium publishes is 35 to 40 m, which puts the whole dive at the deep end of recreational limits and keeps the bottom time short. Plan a descent straight onto the wall, work one direction along it, and turn on gas rather than on a landmark.
At that depth the rock carries fields of gorgonians, and the club describes rays and tuna as a frequent sight over them — the same pattern as the rest of the peninsula, volume of fish over stone rather than coral cover. Nothing site-specific is published on visibility or current, so work off the area's pattern instead: clearer, warmer water late in the year, greener and colder once the upwelling sets in.
The position shown here is approximate. Grand Tiouriba's marker on Oceanium's map sits in the same cluster as three other named sites, so read it as a zone off the peninsula rather than a fix. The dive is boat-run from the club and the skipper places it. Nothing else about the site — its length, its orientation, or where the top of the drop-off begins — is published anywhere.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Tuna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Dakar & Ngor: Upwelling from about December to May cools water to 17-21°C and dims visibility; October-November is the warm, clear window.
Know before you go
- The profile runs to 40 m, at the limit of recreational depth: no-stop time is minutes, narcosis is a real factor, and the ascent has to be planned before you drop in.
- No current information is published for the site, and the peninsula's water moves; brief a drift plan and carry a surface marker buoy.
Dive videos
Retour à Grand Tiouriba (Dakar - Sénégal) · La fille qui plonge au Sénégal on YouTube
Sources
- Grand Tiouriba site page — Oceanium Diving Center
- Nos plongées — Oceanium Diving Center
In The Logbook
- Gas density: why deep air gets hard to breatheBody & health · 8 min read
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