Príncipe Island
São Tomé and Príncipe · Africa
One of the most remote and pristine dive destinations in the Atlantic, Príncipe is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve rising from the Gulf of Guinea. Its volcanic seamounts and undisturbed reefs host endemic species found nowhere else on Earth, alongside seasonal whale sharks and large pelagics. With very few divers visiting each year, the underwater landscapes here feel genuinely untouched — dense sea fans, healthy hard coral, and extraordinary fish biomass on every dive.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Live science signals for this reef are still being gathered.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Fishing
Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.
Sources · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
What you will see
31 species across the dive sites here
Hawksbill Turtle
Seen 11 months ago
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Critically endangered
Green Turtle
Seen Jan 2025
at Banana Beach Wall
Least concern
Barrel Sponge
Seen year round
at Banana Beach Wall
Black Coral
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Bluehead Wrasse
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Least concern
Common Octopus
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Least concern
Cup Coral
Seen year round
at Sete Pedras
Encrusting Sponge
Seen year round
at Sete Pedras
Encrusting Sponges
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Frogfish (Warty/Giant)
Seen year round
at Sete Pedras
Least concern
Giant Moray Eel
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Least concern
Giant Trevally
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Least concern
Great Barracuda
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Least concern
Large Sea Fans
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Nudibranch (various species)
Seen year round
at Sete Pedras
Oceanic Triggerfish
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Least concern
Porcupinefish
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Least concern
Príncipe Sunbird Wrasse
Seen year round
at Sete Pedras
Least concern
Pygmy Seahorse
Seen year round
at Banana Beach Wall
Least concern
Red Snapper
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Vulnerable
Soft Coral
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Trumpetfish
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Wire Coral
Seen year round
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Yellowfin Tuna
Seen year round
at Pedra de Galé
Least concern
Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates
Seasonal visitor
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Cuttlefish
Seasonal visitor
at Ilhéu Bom Bom
Least concern
Eagle Ray
Seasonal visitor
at Banana Beach Wall
Endangered
Mahi-mahi
Seasonal visitor
at Pedra de Galé
Least concern
Manta Ray
Seasonal visitor
at Banana Beach Wall
Scalloped Hammerhead
Seasonal visitor
at Sete Pedras
Critically endangered
Whale Shark
Seasonal visitor
at Pedra de Galé
Endangered
Dive sites
Pedra de Galé
whale shark · oceanic triggerfish · giant trevally · great barracuda
Ilhéu Bom Bom
hawksbill turtle · giant moray eel · porcupinefish · common octopus
Sete Pedras
príncipe sunbird wrasse · scalloped hammerhead · frogfish (warty/giant) · nudibranch (various species)
Banana Beach Wall
green turtle · pygmy seahorse · black coral · barrel sponge