Scuba Season
Underwater reef at São Tomé North Coast
Stable

São Tomé North Coast

São Tomé and Príncipe · Gulf of Guinea

São Tomé sits on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea — frontier Atlantic diving with humpback whales (in season), whale sharks, and reefs barely touched by other divers. Logistics are involved; rewards are real.

How this reef is doing

How we measure this

Reef state

Stable

Equatorial Atlantic — unique fauna, limited monitoring. Macro and topography more than coral cover.

Coral cover

27%
LowHealthy
Moderate

Fish life

Not surveyed

Heat

SafeBleaching

No unusual heat right now.

Safe now

Fishing

QuietBusy

Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.

Open

Sources · MERMAID and partner coral surveys · NOAA Coral Reef Watch · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity

What you will see

6 species across the dive sites here

Dive sites

What divers say

Equatorial Atlantic diving with humpbacks in the background. There's nowhere else quite like São Tomé.
Returning visitor

Good to know

Combine with Príncipe

Smaller, even quieter sister island for biodiversity and turtles.

Gear & getting wet

  • Basic kit

    • Mask and fins
    • BCD and regulator
    • 5mm full wetsuit · cooler water
    • Dive computer