Santo Antão · Cabo Verde · Reef
Wish You Were Here
A labyrinth of reef walls ringed by white sand
This reef off Santo Antão is laid out like a big labyrinth, its walls rising from a floor of white sand. It counts among the island's most emblematic dives, packed with marine life of all types, and when current runs, schools of fish gather over the maze.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Santo Antão and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Divers settle on the white sand at 12 m and weave between the reef walls, which climb to within 6 m of the surface. Every corner of the labyrinth is packed with marine life. When current is running, schools of fish gather over the reef, yet down on the bottom close to the wall it is barely felt.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Santo Antão: Diving runs year-round; April to June and October to November are the best months, and autumn brings the best odds of a manta ray or whale shark.
Dive videos
Cabo Verde Diving - Ilha de Santo Antão - Wish you were here - 2024-04-28 #88 · Filipe Resao on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is the labyrinth reef off Santo Antão suitable for newly certified divers?+
Yes. The reef stays between 6 m and 12 m, and on the bottom near the wall the current is barely felt, so Open Water divers can do it.
Sources
- Dive Sites — Green Turtle Diving Center
- Santo Antao Art Resort diving holiday — EWDR
More dive sites in Santo Antão
Wall
A wall face hung with gorgonians and black coral
Wall
A deep start at the foot of the wall
Wall
Mantas can pass off the cape
Reef
Reef on one side, sand on the other, and a drop-off beyond
Similar dives elsewhere
Reef
Baía da Guia
Cascais & Cabo Raso · Portugal
Small passages through the reef top on the swim back to the sand
A false ceiling right around a 10 m shoal off Corralejo
Anchors, masts and a sunken buoy on an 8 m harbour bottom
Wreckage and coal at 12 m under a reef that crests at 1.5 m