Atlantic · Cabo Verde
São Vicente & Mindelo
A shallow wreck, a cave dive and drifts, all a short boat ride from Mindelo
Photo: Jerome Paillet (IFREMER, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Centre Bretagne - ZI de la Pointe du Diable - · CC BY 4.0
São Vicente is a Cabo Verde island whose port town, Mindelo, is the base for daily double-dive boat trips to more than 20 sites among the cliffs and bays nearby. The Sao Macario wreck reaches 15 m, Furna de Rosa opens with a very large cave, Djeu Norte is a drift dive, and Ponta do Farol is a wall that drops below 30 m. Most dives run from 8 m to 30 m, and manta rays pass the furthest point of Canjana.
About diving in São Vicente & Mindelo
Diving on São Vicente is done from rigid inflatable boats, and most days start at the marina in Mindelo, the island's port town. Double dive trips go out every day, and the boat rides are short, from 10 to 30 minutes. The sea conditions decide the departure point: when weather or logistics call for it, the boats leave instead from São Pedro, the village by the airport in the south-west of the island. The many cliffs and bays around the coast give more than 20 dive spots close to Mindelo.
The coast underwater is a mix of reef walls, canyons, caves and bays, with the wreck of the Sao Macario among the shallower dives. Djeu Sul is a good place to watch for big pelagics, and its rock also holds huge java moray eels, lobsters and frogfish of several species. Nurse sharks rest between the rocks at Shark Point in unusual numbers. Ninho de Guicho, where the sea is usually very calm, is one of the preferred places for night dives, and turtles, frogfish, rays and moray eels turn up there.
The sheltered bays give newer divers plenty to do: Ninho de Guicho is a very nice dive for beginners, and Sem Ancora is a very easy drift along a reef wall. Divers with more experience have the drift at Djeu Norte, where the current can be strong, and the wall at Ponta do Farol, which continues below 30 m, deeper than most dives here go. Ponta do Tubarao is a very exposed site where current and waves can make the dive demanding. In the low season from December to June a 5 or 7 mm wetsuit is the usual choice.
Best time to dive São Vicente & Mindelo
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
Boats go out in every month of the year. From December to June is the low season, and the dry season, when the trade winds blow, runs from November through July. The high season starts in July and lasts until November; a 3 or 5 mm wetsuit is the usual choice then. August to October is the rainy season, though rainfall stays low. Across the year the sea moves between 20°C and 27°C, and visibility runs from 15 m to 30 m.
Dive types & marine life
Nurse sharks lie under the rock formations at Ponta do Tubarao and gather in unusual numbers at Shark Point. Manta rays are not rare at the furthest point of Canjana. Rays and sand tiger sharks are among the life inside the cave at Furna de Rosa, and turtles are an occasional visitor at Ninho de Guicho, the calm site used for night dives.
- Wreck
- Drift
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Night
- Manta rays
- Sand tiger sharks
- Frogfish
- Sea turtles
Best dive sites in São Vicente & Mindelo
- 1
Sao Macario
Easy, shallow wreck to 15 m, normally with little current
- 2
Furna de Rosa
Starts in a very large cave with rays, sand tiger sharks and shrimps inside; to 20 m
- 3
Djeu Norte
Drift dive to 30 m in a north-south current that can sometimes be strong
- 4
Ponta do Farol
Wall below 30 m off São Pedro, always full of life
- 5
Ponta do Tubarao
Canyons to 18 m where nurse sharks lie under the rock formations
- 6
Djeu Sul
Small current in the shelter of the big rock, with frogfish of several species and java morays
- 7
Tojoa
Relaxed reef wall to 22 m with very little current, suitable for beginners
- 8
Ladra Cahorro
One of the island's easiest dives, starting in a protected bay; to 24 m
Site guides
Reef
Manta rays passing by at the dive's furthest point
Reef
Frogfish of several species and huge java morays on a sheltered rock
Reef
Starts inside a protected bay and works out to its far point
Reef
Nurse sharks resting under the rocks inside the canyons
Wreck
An 80 m ship in Mindelo's own bay, shallow enough for every level
How to get to São Vicente & Mindelo
Cesária Évora International Airport lies near São Pedro in the south-west of the island, and taxis run from there to Mindelo on the north coast. The dive centres are in Mindelo, one with a second base at São Pedro, and boats normally leave from Mindelo.
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive São Vicente?+
Boats run all year. July to November is the high season, and a 3 or 5 mm wetsuit is the usual choice then; August to October is the rainy season, though little rain falls.
Where do São Vicente dive boats leave from?+
Most trips leave from Mindelo, where double dive trips go out every day. When weather or logistics require it, boats leave from São Pedro, the village by the airport in the south-west.
Is São Vicente good for beginner divers?+
Yes. Tojoa has very little current and can be done by beginners, Ladra Cahorro starts in a protected bay, and Sem Ancora is a very easy drift. Djeu Norte, where the current can be strong, is only suitable for advanced divers.
Can divers see sharks at São Vicente?+
Nurse sharks rest under the rocks at Ponta do Tubarao and gather in unusual numbers at Shark Point, and sand tiger sharks shelter in the cave at Furna de Rosa.
Sources
- Dive Sites – Dive Tribe — Dive Tribe
- Diving Centers – Dive Tribe — Dive Tribe
- Double Dive Trip | Haliotis — Haliotis
- Haliotis Cabo Verde centre — Haliotis
- São Vicente, Cape Verde — Wikipedia
- Mindelo — Wikivoyage
- Freedive Trips Cabo Verde | Haliotis — Haliotis
- Daily Diving – Dive Tribe — Dive Tribe
- Djeu Norte – Duikersgids — Duikersgids
Photo credits
- Four red big-eyed fish hover at the mouth of a dark hollow lined with bright orange-yellow cup corals. by Jerome Paillet (IFREMER, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, Centre Bretagne - ZI de la Pointe du Diable -, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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