Santa Monica Bay

A sweeping bay on the southern tip of Boa Vista forms the most reliable whale shark aggregation site in the Cape Verde archipelago, with individuals up to 8 m appearing reliably from February through May as they follow seasonal plankton blooms into the warm shallow water. The sandy floor at 8 to 18 m is home to eagle rays and large southern stingrays while the open-water column beyond the bay regularly holds schools of great barracuda and amberjack that use the whale sharks' slipstream. This is primarily a drift and open-water experience where the whale shark determines the speed and depth of the encounter.