Plongée sous-marine: Senegal underwater

There are two scuba diving operations in Senegal, one of which is in La Somone. Most of the diving takes place around Isle de Gorée. Diving there from La Somone is an all-day affair due to the distance. The water is reasonably warm but green and murky. Many of the fish species are endemic to the western tip of Africa.

The most interesting site is the wreck of the Tacoma, a British World War II warship that was bombed in Dakar harbor and towed offshore to sink right on the ferry route between Dakar and Gorée, marked these days by a navigation buoy. This wreck had the largest fish population of any wreck we have photographed on anywhere in the Atlantic!

navigation buoy at the wreck of the Tacoma

wreck and fish school of fish school of fish school of fish wreckage and fish wreckage wreckage wreckage and fish wreckage wreckage and fish wreckage and fish wreckage and school of fish wreckage and fish wreckage and fish porcupinefish and wreck porcupinefish and wreckage porcupinefish over wreck bluespotted cornetfish ?? wrasse?? Mediterranean moray eel Mediterranean moray eel Atlantic lizardfish brown puffer Marcella butterflyfish ?? sea star purple coral fire worms

Other dive sites are just off the seaward side of Gorée.

stone wall brown puffer ?? Hoeffler's butterflyfish ?? scorpionfish scorpionfish head African striped grunts Mediterranean moray eel Mediterranean moray eel zebra bream blenny balloonfish undulate skate undulate skate undulate skate eyes closeup urchin urchin pencil urchin pencil urchin sand dollar flatworm fan worms

Deeper sites further south closer to La Somone featured colorful gorgoniums, no two of which were the same color.

gorgoniuma gorgoniums gorgoniums yellow gorgonium orange gorgonium pink grgonium orange and brown gorgoniums purple gorgonium orange gorgonium purple and white gorgonium

two eastern Atlantic squirrelfish eastern Atlantic squirrelfish Hoeffler's butterflyfish Hoeffler's butterflyfish Hoeffler's butterflyfish West African angelfish Ballan wrasse?? Mediterranean moray eel blackear moray eel Atlantic damselfish two-banded bream arrow crab coral branch

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Last modified 1 February 2008