At Shark Bay on the east coast of Sal you wade into shallow water and young lemon sharks swim past your legs. This guide to Shark Bay in Cape Verde explains where it is, how a visit works, when the water is clearest, what to wear and why the sharks should never be fed or touched.
A compact option for travellers who want the main natural sights of Sal without giving up a whole day. The tour lasts about four hours and is listed as all-inclusive.
from €45 per person
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Minibus day trip with hotel pickup at 9:00, suited to those wanting an easy overview of Sal. Stops include Terra Boa, a viewpoint, Espargos with a free hour for lunch, and a float in the Pedra de Lume salt pools.
from €30 per person
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Suits visitors who want a fuller circuit of Sal that adds the fishing village of Palmeira to the usual coastal and salt lake stops. Plan on roughly six hours.
from €29 per person
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A short introduction to Sal for those with limited time, taking in beaches, the natural pools of Buracona, the Terra Boa mirage and a volcano. Buracona and salt flat entry fees are not included.
from €35 per person
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A compact half-day outing for visitors with limited time who want two of Sal's best-known sights in one go. The tour lasts around three hours.
from €29 per person
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A compact morning loop for first-time visitors, couples and families, with several of Sal's main sights in about four hours. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included; back around 1 to 1.30 pm.
from €45 per person
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A half-day 4x4 loop combining coastal scenery, sandboarding on the Morro de Areia dunes and a grogue and ponche tasting in Povoação Velha. Hotel transfers are included.
from €60 per person
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A 4x4 outing across the big dunes and the west coast, ending with local specialities in the island's first settlement. Suits those wanting a varied introduction to Boa Vista.
from €68 per person
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Shark Bay is the name tour operators use for the Baía da Parda, a shallow bay in the north-east quarter of Sal, near the old salt village of Pedra de Lume. The shore is a low reef of basalt from ancient lava flows, with two small, narrow beaches, and the water stays ankle- to knee-deep for some distance out. Do not confuse it with Kite Beach on the Costa da Fragata, closer to Santa Maria, which some listings also call Shark Bay.
The bay is about 25 minutes by road from Santa Maria, the last part on a dirt track. There is no public transport and there are no facilities, so most people come on a tour; if you take a taxi, agree the waiting time and the return fare before you leave.
Young lemon sharks spend their first years in warm, shallow, sheltered water, away from larger predators, including adults of their own species. Projeto Biodiversidade, the Sal conservation group, studies the bay with tagging, baited underwater cameras and drone counts. Between November 2022 and February 2025 it tagged 83 lemon sharks there, and some were caught again up to 22 months later, evidence that the young stay or keep coming back. On that basis Parda Reef has been listed as an Important Shark and Ray Area, a nursery for the species.
Groups of about 12 to 23 newborn and young sharks are seen all year, newborns making up most of them, especially from June to September. Newborns measure around 50 cm and juveniles 70 cm to 1.2 m; adults reach 2.4 to 3 m. The lemon shark is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the project works with the Parda community, which earns a living from the visitors, to protect it.
A guide, usually from the local community, explains how to behave and leads you into the water. Then you stand still and let the sharks come to you: on a good day several glide past within a metre or two, their yellowish-brown backs easy to pick out over the dark rock. Swimming and snorkelling are not practical in water this shallow. On a group island tour the stop is often short, so if the sharks are your main interest, consider a dedicated trip or a taxi.
Visibility depends on the wind and the sea. The north-east trade winds, strongest from roughly December to May, can stir up the water and push waves over the reef, and tours may be cancelled on rough days. The depth also changes with the tide, so no two visits are quite the same. Early morning and mid-afternoon, before and after the main tour groups, tend to mean clearer water and fewer people; check the Sal weather before you go.
Some guides throw fish scraps to draw the sharks closer. The national good-practice guide for marine excursions, validated by Cape Verde's environment and tourism directorates, says never to use bait: it changes the sharks' natural behaviour, can make them dependent on people and makes risky encounters more likely. It also asks visitors never to touch, hold or chase the animals and not to stand in their path.
Keep your hands out of the water, move slowly, do not splash or follow a shark, and do not use flash. If your guide starts feeding the sharks, say you would rather not, and choose an operator that states it does not use bait. These are wild predators with sharp teeth, and food is what makes them bold.
Water shoes with a firm sole are essential: the bottom is sharp volcanic rock with sea urchins, and flip-flops are not enough. Local guides rent them on the spot for a few euros, but sizes can run out at busy times, so bring your own if you can. Polarised sunglasses cut the glare and make the sharks far easier to see. Add sun cream, a hat, drinking water and shorts you do not mind getting wet; there is no shade, no toilet and nothing to buy.
Most visitors see Shark Bay on an island tour of Sal, often combined with the salt crater of Pedra de Lume, where you float in very salty water (the entrance fee is usually extra), the Buracona rock pool and Espargos. Quad and buggy trips often stop here too. Compare the options in Cape Verde excursions and quad and buggy tours, and for wildlife after dark from July to October see turtle watching.
Visitors stand in shallow water with young lemon sharks under a guide's supervision, and the sharks are not fed or touched on well-run visits. The main injuries come from the sharp rocks and sea urchins, so wear water shoes.
Yes. The bottom is sharp volcanic rock with sea urchins; shoes can be rented on site for a few euros, but bringing your own is safer at busy times.
Young lemon sharks are seen all year. Calm days give the clearest water, and early morning or mid-afternoon visits tend to be less crowded than late morning.
About 25 minutes by road, the last part on a dirt track. There is no public transport, so go on a tour or by taxi with an agreed waiting time.
