Freediving
4 hours
Free cancellation
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Recommended by 96% of travellers
96% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
£72
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Cabo Verde Diving
Cabo Verde Diving
4.5
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Caboverdediving specializes in providing a complete range of water sports and activities. The company was formed in 2003 when it began operating and providing services on Sal Island, Cape Verde. Ours is a family environment, where all the divers are considered friends.You will share with us the most beautiful underwater moments on Cape Verde. Our mission is to satisfy clients by providing a wide range of water sports such as scuba diving, snorkeling a variety of aquatic excursions. Everything we do is executed with the highest regard for personal safety standards. Respect for the environment and a commitment to the local communities where we operate is of prime importance for us.
Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde
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Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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On the Water
2 hours
Free cancellation
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from
£33
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Freediving
5 hours
Free cancellation
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Recommended by 97% of travellers
97% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
£88
per adult
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4.5
781 reviews
Excellent
656
Very good
86
Average
14
Poor
8
Terrible
17
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Gabriele
4 contributions
Feb 2020
Amazing staff, great diving spots, a lot of fun.
I decided to go to Cabo Verde Diving to get my Open Water certification and eventually decided - since I was going at it - that I might do the Advanced Open Water course here as well.
I got in touch with the staff at CVD by e-mail, and I was very glad to receive a prompt, kind and exhaustive response by Romina. I decided to book the two courses, which I’m extremely glad I did because I had the chance to get my certifications and gain some consistent experience by diving every day, as well as to spend some more time with these amazing people.
I did my two courses with Barbara (a special mention goes to her here, thank you Barb!), a very kind, patient and prepared instructor who really made me feel comfortable at all times (even when I managed to mount my diving gear on the tank the other way around one too many times, oops!). She’s been supportive the whole time, making me feel very much at ease and therefore more prone to learn and succeed in obtaining my first two certifications.
The rest of the staff were equally great: my deepest thanks to Romina, Fabrizio, Marcio, Hendrik, Hugo, Andrea, and Luca, as well as the other folks I had the opportunity to meet on the boats as we went diving, be they captains, divemasters or instructors.
As a beginner, I rent all my gear at CVD as part of the courses and had a smooth time with this too. Nor have I had to bother about getting to the centre as transfer to and from your hotel is always included, so overall it was a fantastic experience because I could trust experienced people and just focus on learning and enjoying the dives.
I got to dive a total of 16 times in the majority of the spots (seeing wrecks, doing a night dive and even spotting a humpback whale after my very first open water dive), and I would have gone for more if reality hadn’t called me back and nitrogen forced me to stop before flying.
Thank you folks, you’ve made me feel at home the whole time and I would do it all over again if I could.
I decided to go to Cabo Verde Diving to get my Open Water certification and eventually decided - since I was going at it - that I might do the Advanced Open Water course here as well.
I got in touch with the staff at CVD by e-mail, and I was very glad to receive a prompt, kind and exhaustive response by Romina. I decided to book the two courses, which I’m extremely glad I did because I had the chance to get my certifications and gain some consistent experience by diving every day, as well as to spend some more time with these amazing people.
I did my two courses with Barbara (a special mention goes to her here, thank you Barb!), a very kind, patient and prepared instructor who really made me feel comfortable at all times (even when I managed to mount my diving gear on the tank the other way around one too many times, oops!). She’s been supportive the whole time, making me feel very much at ease and therefore more prone to learn and succeed in obtaining my first two certifications.
The rest of the staff were equally great: my deepest thanks to Romina, Fabrizio, Marcio, Hendrik, Hugo, Andrea, and Luca, as well as the other folks I had the opportunity to meet on the boats as we went diving, be they captains, divemasters or instructors.
As a beginner, I rent all my gear at CVD as part of the courses and had a smooth time with this too. Nor have I had to bother about getting to the centre as transfer to and from your hotel is always included, so overall it was a fantastic experience because I could trust experienced people and just focus on learning and enjoying the dives.
I got to dive a total of 16 times in the majority of the spots (seeing wrecks, doing a night dive and even spotting a humpback whale after my very first open water dive), and I would have gone for more if reality hadn’t called me back and nitrogen forced me to stop before flying.
Thank you folks, you’ve made me feel at home the whole time and I would do it all over again if I could.
Written 8 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andy H
Hawarden, UK16 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
I was in Sal in early December 2019 and pre-booked a couple of dives with these guys & ended doing extra ones because of the great team based at the Melia Tortuga. I am an advanced open water diver and both the equipment, safety, and dive sites we excellent - will definitely dive with them again and thoroughly recommend them to any divers (or non divers wanting to learn). Thank you for a cracking few dives.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris_and_Kate_M
18 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
A group of us from a UK dive club did five days (10) dives with Cabo Verde Diving as well as one extra night dive. The team from the dive centre were great. Romina made the booking very easy, they collected us from the hotel, and returned us after, made sure we had everything we needed for diving, handled moving our gear to and from the boat and gave very good briefings. Our guide throughout, Eric, was fantastic as were the other guides. Would also mention the boat crew. The boat was in great condition and there was never any rush. Always had plenty of time to get the kit ready onboard before heading to the dive site and once there always felt safe being dropped off and picked up. Would recommend to anyone.
Written 2 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nadia z
5 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
I make a premise and not to boast, but to explain that I speak with knowledge of the facts because my husband and I have been lucky enough to dive in almost all the seas of the world and to have turned this passion into work. That said, our experience with this diving was a total disappointment: service, organization, staff, unfortunately compromising the overall experience.
Service: I would call it “essential”
Organization: two dives in the morning, 10 minutes by boat, 20-25 minutes of surface interval, and off again in the water for the second dive (the same three times in a row, maybe it was the one closest to the pier). After storing all the equipment in 3 and a half minutes, in 5 minutes we were in port or rather bathing, since we dived to be catapulted to shore by the waves. I forgot the group was assembled on the boat during navigation to reduce downtime. In short, total relaxation!!!!! At the end of the day I was broken...
Staff: I don’t claim the Maldives service, but seeing the diving guys sitting comfortably in the shade watching the divers unload the bags, honestly leaves me very puzzled. After all, those who dare (the German Guide, not to mention names) to contradict a guest in a rude way (even with a glance) for an observation on the surface interval depriving him of the greeting in the following days, are certainly not inclined to put guests first!
A final word on safety: the recommended surface interval of at least one hour was not taken into account and, despite the fact that the matter was addressed directly on site with the Owner, it was not respected, indeed we felt almost guilty in having raised the problem, fortunately they allowed us to do the subsequent dives!!!!
Honestly, in many years we have never been able to not enjoy the morning dedicated to our passion. Normally during the interval you relax, bathe, eat a snack and hydrate (we were explained that after covid the good habit of bringing water on board was not maintained.... to know). We didn't even have time to pee!!!!
Unfortunately for them, by exercising this activity as a profession and taking people into the water, we are quite attentive to safety rules and honestly we are afraid that with repetitive, often deep dives, safety takes a back seat to leave room for business.
I believe that to improve (if you want to improve) negative comments are also important without being singled out as people out of this world or treated with indifference.
In twenty years of Underwater Trips around the world, I admit it’s the first time we’ve felt like unwelcome guests.
Believe me, it's a very unpleasant feeling.
Nadia and Stefano
Service: I would call it “essential”
Organization: two dives in the morning, 10 minutes by boat, 20-25 minutes of surface interval, and off again in the water for the second dive (the same three times in a row, maybe it was the one closest to the pier). After storing all the equipment in 3 and a half minutes, in 5 minutes we were in port or rather bathing, since we dived to be catapulted to shore by the waves. I forgot the group was assembled on the boat during navigation to reduce downtime. In short, total relaxation!!!!! At the end of the day I was broken...
Staff: I don’t claim the Maldives service, but seeing the diving guys sitting comfortably in the shade watching the divers unload the bags, honestly leaves me very puzzled. After all, those who dare (the German Guide, not to mention names) to contradict a guest in a rude way (even with a glance) for an observation on the surface interval depriving him of the greeting in the following days, are certainly not inclined to put guests first!
A final word on safety: the recommended surface interval of at least one hour was not taken into account and, despite the fact that the matter was addressed directly on site with the Owner, it was not respected, indeed we felt almost guilty in having raised the problem, fortunately they allowed us to do the subsequent dives!!!!
Honestly, in many years we have never been able to not enjoy the morning dedicated to our passion. Normally during the interval you relax, bathe, eat a snack and hydrate (we were explained that after covid the good habit of bringing water on board was not maintained.... to know). We didn't even have time to pee!!!!
Unfortunately for them, by exercising this activity as a profession and taking people into the water, we are quite attentive to safety rules and honestly we are afraid that with repetitive, often deep dives, safety takes a back seat to leave room for business.
I believe that to improve (if you want to improve) negative comments are also important without being singled out as people out of this world or treated with indifference.
In twenty years of Underwater Trips around the world, I admit it’s the first time we’ve felt like unwelcome guests.
Believe me, it's a very unpleasant feeling.
Nadia and Stefano
Automatically translated
Written 4 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grazie per il vostro feedback dettagliato. Siamo dispiaciuti di sapere che la vostra esperienza non ha soddisfatto le vostre aspettative e voglio rispondere ai vostri punti con attenzione.
Servizio e Organizzazione: Mi scuso se il servizio e l’organizzazione non sono stati all'altezza degli standard che ci poniamo. La nostra intenzione è sempre quella di fornire un’esperienza ben pianificata e comoda per tutti i nostri ospiti. Prenderemo seriamente i vostri commenti per rivedere e migliorare le nostre procedure, in particolare riguardo ai tempi e alla gestione delle immersioni.
Intervallo di Superficie: Siamo particolarmente preoccupati per le vostre osservazioni riguardo all'intervallo di superficie. Le linee guida internazionali raccomandano generalmente un intervallo di almeno 30 minuti tra immersioni per immersioni superficiali e di almeno un’ora per immersioni più profonde. È fondamentale rispettare questi tempi per garantire una decompressione sicura e ridurre il rischio di malattia da decompressione. Se non abbiamo rispettato adeguatamente questi tempi, questo è inaccettabile e ci scusiamo sinceramente. Rivedremo attentamente le nostre pratiche per garantire che tali standard siano rigorosamente seguiti in futuro.
Staff e Sicurezza: È inaccettabile che vi sia sembrato che il nostro staff non fosse completamente impegnato nel fornire un servizio eccellente. La sicurezza e il benessere dei nostri ospiti sono sempre la nostra priorità assoluta. La vostra esperienza con la guida tedesca è particolarmente preoccupante, e indagheremo su questo problema per assicurarci che tutti i membri del nostro team mantengano un atteggiamento professionale e rispettoso.
Commenti e Miglioramento: Apprezziamo sinceramente i vostri commenti, che sono fondamentali per il nostro miglioramento. Ci dispiace che vi siate sentiti ospiti non graditi e faremo tutto il possibile per evitare che situazioni simili si verifichino in futuro. Il vostro feedback è prezioso e ci aiuterà a migliorare.
Written 13 September 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yolanda
1 contribution
May 2022
There is an amazing peaceful world to discover underwater with, I am sure, one of the best diving centers ! I highly recommend going diving or snorkeling with Cabo Verde Diving for everyone that has the chance to spend some time in Sal :)
During the two and a half months that I spent on Sal Island, I had the opportunity to dive multiple times with the Cabo Verde Diving Center. I never dived before, but I directly started by doing the Open Water Diver course. Luca is such a great instructor and the whole team is so nice that I continued by doing the Advanced Open Water Diver course. Everyone is taking care of you, your needs and possible difficulties, so I always felt very safe and really enjoyed every second under water.
I went home already more than a month ago and miss the diving with you very much !! Thank you to all of you for being so kind and passing your love of diving on to me !
During the two and a half months that I spent on Sal Island, I had the opportunity to dive multiple times with the Cabo Verde Diving Center. I never dived before, but I directly started by doing the Open Water Diver course. Luca is such a great instructor and the whole team is so nice that I continued by doing the Advanced Open Water Diver course. Everyone is taking care of you, your needs and possible difficulties, so I always felt very safe and really enjoyed every second under water.
I went home already more than a month ago and miss the diving with you very much !! Thank you to all of you for being so kind and passing your love of diving on to me !
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jennykJ2914DF
Manchester, UK10 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
Just back from the most amazing snorkelling trip with Kakau, Alex & team, we were a little nervous that the sea would be too rough for the kids, but they had such a vip experience, super safe and always with a guide helping them to spot 8 (!!) turtles, sea snakes & lots of exotic fish!! …all the included equipment, wetsuits etc felt new & well cared for…absolutely made the holiday, would thoroughly recommend :-)
Written 8 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joana Silva
Porto, Portugal3 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
Hey hey! Me and Diana had the most awe inspiring baptism experience with this amazing team. We trained and dived with the instructor Davi. Super professional, his main focus was to prepare us in the best way possible. He teached us all the tricks, and more - to stay calm and focused, for us to be able to have a good time.
All team members are nice, joyful, humble, professional, completely open to serve us in the best way possible. We will repeat, for sure. It feels really nice to find people and places like this. It’s inspirational, our souls received a lot of goodness too. Joana e Diana
All team members are nice, joyful, humble, professional, completely open to serve us in the best way possible. We will repeat, for sure. It feels really nice to find people and places like this. It’s inspirational, our souls received a lot of goodness too. Joana e Diana
Written 9 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Petra O
Stockholm, Sweden5 contributions
Jan 2022 • Couples
First I want to start of with one word: wow! Thank you for giving me/us the best experience! My bf already had an advanced OWC so my friend and I took the Open water course to get open water certified. The staff and instructors were so nice and experienced. For me that never been diving before I always felt safe around them. We took the class that we ended up splitting up over the course of 4 days and I always got excited going to the center. They were always so welcoming.
For the dive then: they took us to 5 different sites every time and always saw different things every dive. We were lucky to see all kinds of different sea life. My bf that already was advance open water certified was also really satisfied with the diving sites and the experience over all.
With this I would highly recommend this if you’re newbie like me or advance like my bf.
I’ll miss this place!
For the dive then: they took us to 5 different sites every time and always saw different things every dive. We were lucky to see all kinds of different sea life. My bf that already was advance open water certified was also really satisfied with the diving sites and the experience over all.
With this I would highly recommend this if you’re newbie like me or advance like my bf.
I’ll miss this place!
Written 15 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Banany73
Oslo, Norway302 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Cabo Verde Diving is a wonderful company staffed by lovely people. We booked with them before arriving for our children to do their open water course. Our kids are 10 and 16 and so we were looking for a dive company with a good reputation for safety. CVD were amazing. Their diving instructor Kush looked after them and they passed no problem under his wings. He was calm, chilled and just lovely with them. Myself and my husband hadn't dived for over 15 years and so we did the refresher course. I normly had issues with equalizing my ears and despite an being Advanced Padi qualified I was nervous after so long not diving. The stars must have been aligned when we were assigned Zoe as she was just wonderful. She took her time and really listened to us. Diving with her was the best thing that could have happened to me. Everything I had a little panic about something on the first she was there. We booked more diving the next day and I asked for her to join us. This time everything was much easier for me. We went travelling round the islands and came back to Sal where we again dived with CVD The kids were desperate to dive again and had a lovely experience. We really missed Zoe though as she wasn't able to join us. Everyone at the company is friendly. The dive sites are not the best I've dived but more than good enough. You can see turtles, rays, loads of puffer fish, a wreck etc. The current is strong and due to our youngest being 10 we couldn't go deep so I can't speak to the deeper sites. Safety is paramount for CVD. Would recommend them in a heartbeat.
Written 28 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edmar G
Brockton, MA8 contributions
Mar 2020
While vacationing in Sal, I decided to experiment scuba diving. This was an activity that pretty much took the whole day (9am.- 5pm). First half was theoretical, safety instructions, under water communication and training in the pool. Second half was at sea and we dove at approximately 12 meters of depth for about 30 minutes. Diving time can depend on how quickly you run out of oxygen in your tank.
I took part in this activity alongside a group of strangers who were very friendly and nice people.
Special shout out to Marcio and Hendrik. They're both great instructors who communicate very clearly and pay exquisite attention to details.
I took part in this activity alongside a group of strangers who were very friendly and nice people.
Special shout out to Marcio and Hendrik. They're both great instructors who communicate very clearly and pay exquisite attention to details.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonj ,quel est le prix moyen d'une plongée avec ou sans matériel ?
D'avance merci.
Written 14 December 2020
skal til cap-verde i januar. tenkte å ta dykkerkurs. er interisert i . . og mail til dykker sentere . takker
Written 31 August 2019
We are advanced divers so have no experience of their teaching, but we used Cabo Verde Diving, and they seemed a very professional outfit, and they were highly recommended to us.
Written 3 October 2019
My son is PADI certified but the rest of the family is not. Are there any trips that we can all go on together and my son can do a dive and we can just snorkel?
Written 31 July 2019
I'd recommend e mailing them to see if that can be accomodated. The dives we did were from a zodiac and specifically for a boat full of divers. I would imaginethat there are sites which could accomodate both. I don't think that the CV islands are so conducive to snorkelling, as there is not such a proliferation of coral and sea life such as there is in places like the Red Sea where a mixed ability trip is much easier.
I hope this is helpful.
Written 31 July 2019
Hello. How long does it take to complete "open water" certificate? Kind regards
Written 18 June 2019
Hello Camilla
The Open Water Diver Course takes 4 days max to be completed.
You can do the theory before arriving and that saves you more time.
Please check our website for more details.
Thank you!
Written 19 June 2019
Hi Sharon,
We teach SSI and Padi courses with padi you need to add 50€ for the certification fee. Apart from this both organizations cover the same material.
Keep in mind that all our programs are flexible and can be adapted to your preferences, I will explain how it generally works. The Scuba diver is the first part of the Open Water, so you can extend from one to the other without losing any time and just pay the difference, the manual is the same.
For the Scuba Diver course 250€:
There are three theory modules (approx. 3h) which consist on watching some videos and doing some quizzes, normally one morning. Then a pool session where the first three modules are completed, by this point you will have the skill set to be independent underwater (again normally one morning or afternoon). Followed by two dives (max. depth 12m) which we normally conduct on separate afternoons to give you more time to enjoy the underwater.
For the open water course 350€
In addition to what is included in the Scuba Diver you will have an extra two theory modules (approx. 1h), one pool session with the final skills and then two open water dives (depth of up to 18m, which you can finish in a morning).
During the course you will have time between the morning and afternoon sessions to go back to the hotel have lunch and relax. We can organize the transfer free of charge from and to your hotel in Santa Maria, in the morning, at lunch and in the afternoon.
Best regards Romina
Written 12 February 2019
Hi we are coming to Cape Verde in a couple of weeks , originally it was a no diving holiday ( my husband would dive in a puddle !) however after seeing all the amazing reviews it seems like shame not to experience the under water so we are now looking to do a couple of dives . Does this dive centre take credit cards ? Many thanks
Written 18 June 2018
Yes they do. They were a great diving school. Kush was fantastic. Have a great holiday xx
Written 21 June 2018
Chlo0506
Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Do you do dives for beginners? If so, how deep is the dive and how much would it be per person please?
Written 23 May 2018
Yes they do dives for beginners. Website shows 85€ for Discover Scuba. This starts of in the pool to give you the basic skills needed. Not sure how deep they'll take you, depends very much on how you absorb the skills, but probably no more than 10 metres. they're a great Dive Centre and take good care of their clients.
Written 24 May 2018
There are certainly parts of the coast where there would be a lot to see snorkeling. If you want to do it with a guide then you will have to check directly with the Dive Centre.
Written 8 December 2017
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