Snorkeling Tour In the bay of Santa Maria: Explore Sunken Shipwrecks and Diverse Marine Life
4.2
25 Ratings
Santa Maria
Embark on a thrilling snorkeling tour in the bay of Santa Maria and discover sunken shipwrecks and a diverse array of marine life. Swim alongside schools of soldier fish, snappers, parrot fish, and more!
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • H3WQ+RPX - The warm waters surrounding Sal are home to a fascinating array of marine life
  • making it nothing short of snorkelling heaven.
    If you have never tried snorkelling before, then this the ideal chance. Head to the dive centre and you’ll be greeted by friendly guides who’ll give you a quick intro to all the essentials.
    Snorkelling around Sal is a wonderful way to explore the underwater world, here we are lucky enough to have shallow reefs and weck with an abundance of marine life, including tropical and Mediterranean fish, rays, turtles, moray eels and many more.The snorkel points are about 5/10min away and you will spend about 45min in the water. The guide is a diving instructor and will be with you in the water the whole time to offer assistance as well as guide you.
    We visit a multilevel reef 3m to 6m deep at the end of the reef there is a shallow shipwreck, Bolama or more commonly known as Calderinhia due to the big boiler still left behind. Schools of soldier fish and snappers like to swim around it and are regularly found here in addition to parrot fish, trumpet fish sea turtles and many others.
What's Included
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
  • Bottled water
Additional Information

A few hundred meters off the coast of Santa Maria Bay, there exists a layered reef that varies in depth from 3m to 8m. This range of depth provides ideal conditions for marine creatures to thrive and adjust to different visibility conditions. The reef ends with a shallow shipwreck, more popularly known as Calderinhia, but also referred to as Bolama, named after the large boiler that remains on the site. You can often spot shoals of soldier fish and snappers swimming about, with the occasional sightings of parrot fish, trumpet fish and numerous other marine species.

  • 8 years old minimum age
Location
H3WQ+RPX
We meet at the cabo verde diving Aquarium center or pick you up at the hotel every day (except for Sunday) at 9.30. Where you will meet the guide and we provide the full equipment
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.2
(25 Ratings)
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Denisjohann
Apr 25, 2024
Highlight of our trip to Cabo Verde - We had booked a wonderful snorkeling trip and were more than thrilled. Just off the coast, countless colorful fish, starfish and moray eels were frolicking around an old shipwreck. During the trip, we even saw a sea turtle. A great opportunity to discover this diverse underwater world even without a diving license or previous knowledge. The use of equipment including a wetsuit was also included. The atmosphere in our small group was great from the start and we would love to come back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ritaf2958
Apr 19, 2024
Great - Water of an extraordinary color Very friendly people Spectacular food Very windy, but it didn't bother Best area for the beach: Santa Maria
Review provided by Tripadvisor
242maudm
Mar 23, 2024
Snorkeling trip - Snorkeling trip lasting 2 hours in total with briefing. Beautiful walk where we saw lots of fish and also the chance to see turtles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Relax62569762701
Feb 18, 2024
Fantastic trip! - Fantastic and affordable tour! Very nice staff, professional instructors, high security, wonderful snorkeling experience with lots of fish of different kinds and many and clearly visible wrecks. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gentenaar3
Jan 15, 2024
Turtles! - We did the snorkeling tour with CV Diving. Were picked up at the hotel on time but the drive to the starting point was very short, we could have gone on foot. After a thorough briefing, we walked in group to the pier where we were going to take the boat. It is best to bring flip-flops for this walk, it was not entirely clear to us whether shoes could be taken so we walked barefoot on the road and the pier. Luckily I didn't have any cuts or splinters! The snorkeling is led by the guide who does it very calmly and well. Those who are less confident in the water can wear a life jacket. The guide showed us the most beautiful places, we also saw 3 turtles! You'll be in the water for about 40 minutes. All in all, a nice trip for a reasonable price!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shups03
Dec 21, 2023
Safe and rewarding - Lovely experience, despite the sea wasn't the flattest I snorkelled in, I felt very safe, it was easy to follow our guide Abi and Leo from the boat was looking after us at all time. The shipwrech was pretty cool and I was lucky enough to see 3 turtles! Recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
205nicklasl
Nov 2, 2023
Cape Verde Sal snorkeling - A very well organized snorkel tour. Had the opportunity to see a lot of fish, and even a sea turtle. However, the corals were of the round type with no nooks and crannies for varying fish species, but I suppose it is like that in Cape Verde
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Beak195
Oct 27, 2023
Only with previous knowledge - Suitable for anyone who has already snorkeled and has a bit of experience. Not recommended for inexperienced people, the introduction is too short. We also went out despite strong waves, but if you have no experience it can be very challenging. The boat trip was also quite demanding, no consideration was given to the waves. Okay for us but not suitable for older or younger people. The guides tried very hard to find turtles. One star deducted because the group was too big. That was a bit annoying because not everyone snorkeled at the same pace and you constantly felt other people's fins somewhere on your body
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicksmolly
Dec 11, 2023
Guided snorkeling tour in Santa Maria Cabo Verde - I am an avid snorkeler, have my own equipment and suit. It goes with me everywhere I go (except on ski holidays). I had come to Cabo Verde especially for the sea turtles and now it turned out that the season was over. Still, I signed up for a snorkeling tour. We went a little further into the sea in a boat, then got off the boat and followed a guide. Everyone was given a life jacket, but I refused, otherwise you couldn't dive. At the end of the tour you will pass a wreck. The visibility of the water was not completely clear and the sun did not always shine, so sometimes it was dark under the water. But I still encountered the sea turtles, so the snorkeling trip was a success. The wreck was only slightly small, but there were a lot of fish swimming around. It takes about 30 minutes. The disadvantage is that you cannot follow your own pace, or swim somewhere longer. It is best to continue following the group, then you will be visible. There are many Zodiacs and Jet Skis sailing around.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Suzanne_v
Dec 21, 2023
Wouldn’t recommend - We never went to any if the sites advertised. They took us to a part where there were barely any reefs or fish. We paid €60 to swim around and look at rocks. Waste of time and money.
Review provided by Viator