Diving and snorkeling is not so easy on the Cape Verdian Islands. You have to overcome vicious shore breaks and currents. Wet suits are recommended.
Underwater, however, you may enjoy coral reefs, 639 species of fish including Mantas, sharks and turtles. (Which we did not see, unluckily). More Information: Stewart, Murray. Cape Verde (Bradt Travel Guides)
Dry, barren and uninhabited– Santa Luzia is the smallest Island of the archipelago. The south coast has scenic beaches and dunes. It now is Cape Verde’s largest marine reserve. More information: Stewart, Murray. Cape Verde (Bradt Travel Guides)
Brava – or ‘wild’ Island – is small island with a gentle, communal old style way of life. It may only be reached by boat. Porta da Faya is an anchorage with a fertile and spectacular valey. A natural pool allows swimming between wave-battered rocks. More information: Stewart, Murray. Cape Verde (Bradt Travel Guides).
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There are three villages called Tarrafal on the Capeverdian Islands. This one is a beautiful place for those who are looking for tranquility.
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Big waves on Maio’s broad and white sandy beaches. Nice to see from above, but brutal when getting ashore with a dingi.
Pilot whales are highly social and swim in groups of twenty and more if there is enough squid or fish. Most dives are to a depth of 30–60 m, but they may dive 600 meters. The whitish calfs nurses for three years. The “playful” clapping of the caudal fin, is it to scare prey?
More than 17 species of whale and dolphin, including the humpback whale, which breeds here, may be watched in Cape Verde.
More than 200 shipwrecks are reported in the Capeverdian Islands. Some of them in Mindelo’s Porto Grande.
The high wind zones between the montaineous Capeverdian Islands, here between Brava and Fogo, are well known. Always expect six to seven Beaufort. And be prepared for more.
The largest lake of salt in Cape Verde. A reminder of Maio’s past as salt supplier for Brazil, but still used today. As local women work to make salt for the local market, little conical piles of salt appear. Surrounded by dunes and desert, the salina is an important breeding and feeding habitat for birds.
Music: Dag Reinbott, Grand Etude, terrasound.de.
Alternative source:
Only a few hundred meters away from the anchorage: the Tropical Bar. Getting ashore with a dingi, however, is a wet experience. The shorebreak makes swimming a better option, but not at night. Maio is known for it’s sharks…
Music: Josimar Depina Gonçalves, Cape Verde
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