Snorkeling Tour In the bay of Santa Maria: Explore Sunken Shipwrecks and Diverse Marine Life

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: 24 hours
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…
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,…

Location
H3WQ+RPX
Meeting point in Aquarium - dive center Meeting point in Farol - dive center
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
3.7
(42 Ratings)
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Pietrosf1494yn
Apr 29, 2025
Fantastic experience - I did the snorkeling excursion with them, I found myself very well, organized and professional, despite the sea conditions were not perfect, they did everything to make the excursion pleasant! Turtles, lots of fish and pleasant and professional people! Recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimstenn2020
Apr 5, 2025
Fantastic experience - Nice trip! We saw lots of fish and also a sea turtle. We didn't have to sail very far, which gave more time for snorkeling. The guides were very competent and the safety was at the top.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_j
Dec 29, 2024
Great snorkelling activity - Found the company very professional. Good safety brief before the start of the activity. Equipment provided. It’s only a short boat ride out to the location for snorkelling. We saw plenty of fish! I could have stayed snorkelling all day, fab activity!
Review provided by Viator
Leilah_hillman
Sep 30, 2024
Pretty good! - It was a decent activity. A bit disorganized but communication with the provider was excellent. The wreck site was beat and there were turtles!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annalw9776ov
Apr 29, 2025
Poor organization - When I look at the pictures advertising the tour I ask myself if it was another part of the world. Was it the weather? The season? I went with some friends. We asked what level was required and we were told "basic". But this was not really the case. We were thrown in the wavy ocean, where we could only see some shadows of fish ( for sure plenty , but visibility was very poor) and luckily the silhouette of a turtle, then rushed to another place where many of us stayed on board while the others had a 5 min swim to see a statue ( was this the wreck?) . Boat driver was quite sporty , going really fast, and people were feeling sick. it would be better to be honest , make guests aware of the level required and the risks and cancel the trip if the conditions are not ideal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ella031
Apr 28, 2025
Not a serious tour - Before booking the trip we asked what swimming level was required and we are told "basic". The afternoon of our tour was extremely windy and the sea was very wavy. The weather conditions did not allow for a pleasant exploration of the ocean bed, not even for the good swimmers in our group. The group consisted of 16 to 20 people with 2 guides. The boat ride out to sea was extremely fast, cutting the waves, just very nauseating. The visibility under water was very poor. We hardly saw any marine life, nor the reef or the wreck that were listed in the description of the tour. Many of us were very cold and uncomfortable and therefore we returned ahead of time. The tour should not have been organised in such weather conditions. It just felt like the organisers took the opportunity to make the extra money knowing they would not be able to provide the experience that the tour advertised.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jwdwc
Apr 28, 2025
To be avoided, it’s designed for them to make money not for your enjoyment - We went with a group of friends and explained that a couple of them were not strong swimmers, easily seated sick etc and were assured it was all fine. Firstly we were collected at 2:30, drove there, signed waivers (which say they are not responsible even if they are actively negligent), were given equipment and changed into wetsuits. We were told not to bring anything as it would get wet and we would be back by 3:30. Sounded quite short. About 20 people walked out to a very large zodiac and had to board with the waves at shoulder height which was not easy. One large lady found it practically impossible to board (and wasn’t able to snorkel and there would be no way to get her back into the boat). They drove the boat really irresponsibly purposefully driving in the wake of a boat in front so it was extremely bumpy with little to hold onto. We were then told to jump in. There are several other boats around (which is quite dangerous) and the waves were still very rough. As there were so many people we were pushed into each other, inadvertently kicking each other in the face. There is in fact nothing to see. It’s the Atlantic Ocean so there was one parrot fish and schools of small dark fish. We found one turtle but several people had panic attacks and/or were sea sick from the waves and crowding. We went back in the boat and were driven close to shore to see an underwater statue. Then we were taken back to jump off the boat in water over our heads and swim back to shore. No one complained it was so short because they felt ill and it was such a stressful experience to see murky, choppy waters with a grey sea bottom with some unremarkable schools of fish swim by as people were washed into you. We spent the rest of the day recuperating. The staff seemed pretty used to overpromising, under delivering and churning panicked people through in great haste. I worry some of them think they actually went snorkelling. Having snorkelled dozens of times in Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean and in Africa, I promise you this is not snorkelling. Please avoid it. It’s not the real experience. Don’t reward them with your custom.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N_rag2025
Apr 28, 2025
Totally disappointing - Not a serious company. We signalled our swimming skills of beginner level and our fears when signing the suspicious form. The staff just laughed at us. The boat ride was crazy fast, jumping on waves, we were afraid that we would catapult any time. When arriving at the so-called reefs they wanted us to jump into the water backwards - so much for the requirement for basic swimming skills. The staff was helpful, but had the impression of constantly making fun of us. The water was extremely choppy, we couldn't navigate and out of fear of losing the group, we wouldn't dare give in full to the experience. There was no reef whatsoever, we only saw grey fish and a single grey turtle - the latter only the lucky ones. We were freezing to death then the life-threatening boat ride started again. Some of us got really seasick. Never again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P2062yrjeanlucm
Jan 10, 2025
Not happy at all. - Disastrous experience on Thursday, December 26, 2024. We were 18 Frenchmen to board the zodiac at 3pm to do SNORKELING (PMT snorkeling). It was programmed an hour in the water with a visit to a shipwreck and the turtle site. The welcome was made by a person who spoke good French. Then it was a guide who took us in Zodiac. Arriving at the site, the guide launched and left after 10 minutes. We went at the whim of the current on blind spots. There are questions about security, given that of the 18 people there were children. After 20 minutes the supervisors signaled us back to the boat. That’s when the guide blew his head off by explaining that we had not followed the instructions, in approximate English, and that we were not going to the turtle site. We understood this directive when we came back to the boat point. The whole group was very disappointed. What’s more, at 38 € per person, it’s expensive to go around Zodiac because we get to almost 700 € for the group in 30 minutes. Arriving at the hotel we related this event to the manager of the dive sector who apparently had already echoes on the behavior of this guide. What a pity, that this week of vacation is marred by this unfortunate experience, and I invite the management of this diving club to direct this guide to a function that will be more adapted to his behavior, a potential Darth Vader!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
53killk
Dec 26, 2024
Avoid snorkeling, the times announced in the water are not respected and the supervision is very limited - Do not take the snorkeling activity with this company, they take too many people, so not enough supervisory staff (2 for 20 people) and after 30 minutes (instead of an hour) they stop the activity. Tourist factory to avoid absolutely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $43
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).