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3 caves
Dive site · Cabo Verde
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: Sea 0.4 m, Visibility about 15 m, Water 26 °C
Mon 2 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 179, good
- Mon 276, good
- Tue 376, good
- Wed 477, good
- Thu 578, good
- Fri 673, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 876, good
- Mon 976, good
- Tue 1074, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 26 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Sswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 79, good | 0.7 m | 2 kn | 4kn | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 76, good | 0.9 m | 3 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 76, good | 0.7 m | 5 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 78, good | 0.4 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 73, good | 0.5 m | 14 kn | 17kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 0.6 m | 14 kn | 18kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 76, good | 0.4 m | 9 kn | 14kn | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 76, good | 0.5 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 74, good | 0.7 m | 12 kn | 15kn | 28°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:45 −0.3 mHigh 11:51 +0.1 mLow 17:31 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:19 +0.4 mLow 07:00 −0.3 mHigh 13:17 +0.1 mLow 18:45 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:41 +0.3 mLow 08:22 −0.3 mHigh 14:47 +0.1 mLow 20:13 −0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
3 caves on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of 3 caves
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More diving near here
4 places
- Ancora 0.3 km away
- Santo Antao 2.6 km away
- Algodoeiro 4.1 km away
- Palmeiro 1 20.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About 3 caves
It goes down to 18 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces S: swell from the S reaches it, and wind from the N blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.5 km away. The sea is about 22°C in February, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 27°C in September, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Santa Maria. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 3 dive sites.
- What it is No source states what kind of site it is.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.5 km away.
Water about 26°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jun, Jul and Aug (about 20 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$858–US$1,650 each
about US$858–US$1,650 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SID, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$971 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$67 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$167–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Total | about US$858–US$1,650 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Santa Maria
4 min by car · 56 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Santa Maria its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 20h 05m
About 20h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SID, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → SID on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Santa Maria · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Santa Maria · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 15 m, about usual for the month (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.