Sal

Start with a center-specific briefing on surf entry, current, depth, gas, ascent, boat pickup and lost-diver procedure. Wreck and cavern names on a public operator page are not permission to penetrate overhead spaces. Ask for oxygen availability, communications and first-responder training on the actual boat. Never freedive alone or without trained rescue coverage; do not hyperventilate. After scuba, DAN recommends at least 12 hours before flying for a single no-decompression dive and at least 18 hours after multiple dives or days of diving, with longer intervals for decompression dives. Follow conservative advice from the dive center and treating medical professional, particularly if symptoms occur. DAN guidance.

UK guidance describes Cabo Verde health services as basic and limited, making effective evacuation insurance essential. Current 24-hour oxygen, specialist dive medicine, hyperbaric chamber availability, evacuation aircraft and inter-island transfer times were not independently verified for Sal. Do not invent a chamber location or assume on-site recompression. If illness or a possible dive injury occurs, call local emergency services and seek immediate medical assessment. DAN advises local evaluation first rather than self-transporting to a chamber; its 24/7 emergency medical line is +1 919 684 9111 after emergency services are activated. DAN chamber guidance.

Sal includes protected habitats at Ponta de Sino, Costa da Fragata and Serra Negra. The national gazette records a revised Ponta de Sino boundary in 2025; a boundary designation is not proof that specific diving, anchoring, motor access or collection is permitted. Seek park or operator confirmation for the precise route. Project Biodiversity advises leaving dunes and vegetation undisturbed and not touching, feeding or chasing marine life. Its turtle guidance specifies certified nesting observation only in permitted periods and strictly limited lighting, noise and crowd size. At Parda, refuse shark feeding. Keep distance from cetaceans; no whale swims or unrestricted wildlife approaches are supported by this research. Never remove corals, turtle products, shells or historical objects.