Cape Verde
Best Time to Dive in Cape Verde
16.59°N 22.90°W
Go July to August. Conditions are at their best, and the draw is the reefs and wrecks off Santa Maria, and the lemon sharks in the shallows.
- Best time
- Jul–Aug
- Water
- 22–27 °C
- Visibility
- 10–25 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.4–0.9 m
- Species logged
- 5
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Cape Verde — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate |
| Water temp (°C) | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Peak | Peak | Peak | Steady | Steady | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jul–Aug
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Cape Verde diving season
January to April · Off season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–23 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
May to June · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–23 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less.
July to October · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–27 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 2 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
November to December · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–26 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Cape Verde water temperature and weather
652 underwater observation records · 23 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Cape Verde water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
13
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 42% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
2
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
1
wet days a month
0 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.2 m | 15% | 0 | 0 | 23 °C | 11.1 h |
| February | 2.3 m | 19% | 1 | 0 | 22 °C | 11.5 h |
| March | 2.3 m | 14% | 0 | 0 | 22 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.9 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 22 °C | 12.4 h |
| May | 1.7 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 23 °C | 12.8 h |
| June | 1.7 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 24 °C | 13.0 h |
| July | 1.6 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 25 °C | 12.9 h |
| August | 1.5 m | 0% | 3 | 1 | 26 °C | 12.6 h |
| September | 1.6 m | 2% | 5 | 1 | 27 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.8 m | 3% | 1 | 0 | 27 °C | 11.6 h |
| November | 2.0 m | 6% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.2 h |
| December | 2.2 m | 15% | 1 | 0 | 24 °C | 11.0 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Moderate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Moderate | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Good | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of July
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.1 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.2 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.2 m | 34 km/h | 0% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.3 m | 35 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.2 m | 35 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 35 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.5 m | 35 km/h | 1% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 34 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 33 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 1% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 22 °C | 2.1 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 22 °C | 2.0 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.8 m | 32 km/h | 1% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.9 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 23 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 24 °C | 1.7 m | 28 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.7 m | 25 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 23 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 2% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.5 m | 23 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 22 km/h | 10% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 14% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 26 km/h | 18% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 26 km/h | 19% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 14% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 9% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 28 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 28 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Good | 26 °C | 1.9 m | 28 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.9 m | 29 km/h | 5% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 33 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 34 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 24 °C | 2.1 m | 30 km/h | 2% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 5 mm | February: 5 mm | March: 5 mm | April: 5 mm | May: 5 mm | June: 5 mm | July: 5 mm | August: 3 mm | September: 3 mm | October: 3 mm | November: 3 mm | December: 5 mm |
- Dec–Jul5 mm full suit
- Aug–Nov3 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
2 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Aug–Sep.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Cape Verde marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loggerhead turtle | Jul–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 45 | ||
| Humpback whale | Apr–May | Near-guaranteed | 481 | ||
| Lemon shark | All year | Likely | 55 | ||
| Green turtle | Jul–Sep, Dec | Likely | 34 | ||
| Nurse shark | Jan, Sep–Oct | Hit-or-miss | 12 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Cape Verde — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Cape Verde?
- Go July to August. Conditions are at their best, and the draw is the reefs and wrecks off Santa Maria, and the lemon sharks in the shallows.
- When is the diving season in Cape Verde?
- The diving season in Cape Verde runs June to August, and it is at its best July to August.
- Is the diving in Cape Verde good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Cape Verde?
- Between 22 and 27 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in March and warmest in September. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Cape Verde?
- A 5 mm full suit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 3 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Cape Verde?
- Roughly 10 to 25 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Cape Verde?
- The most consistently recorded species are Loggerhead turtle (near-guaranteed), Humpback whale (near-guaranteed) and Lemon shark (likely), from 652 records within 60 km.
- Does Cape Verde get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Aug–Sep, most often in September at 2 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Cape Verde?
- The tide rises and falls 0.9 m around the full and new moon, against 0.4 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Cape Verde?
- January–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Cape Verde?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Jun–Aug.