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, Diodon hystrix

porcupinefish and wreck porcupinefish and wreckage porcupinefish over wreck

Bluespotted cornetfish, Fistularia tabacaria

bluespotted cornetfish

Ocellate damselfish, Stegastes imbriacatus

??

Blackbar hogfish, Bodianus speciosus

wrasse??

Mediterranean moray. Muraena helena

Mediterranean moray eel Mediterranean moray eel

Atlantic lizardfish, Synodus synodus

Atlantic lizardfish

Brown puffer, Sphoerides marmoratus

brown puffer

Marcella butterflyfish, Chaetodon marcellae

Marcella butterflyfish

Cow bream, Sarpa salpa

??

sea star purple coral fire worms

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

stone wall

Brown puffer, Sphoerides marmoratus

brown puffer

Cow bream, Sarpa salpa

??

Hoefler's butterflyfish, Chaetodon hoefleri

Hoeffler's butterflyfish

Blackbar hogfish (female), Bodianus speciosus

??

African rockfish, Scorpaena laevis

scorpionfish scorpionfish head

African striped grunt, Parapristipoma octolineatum

African striped grunts

Mediterranean moray, Muraena helena

Mediterranean moray eel Mediterranean moray eel

Zebra bream, Diplodus cervinus

zebra bream

Senegal blenny, Malacoctenus africanus

blenny

Spotfin burrfish, Chilomycterus reticulatus

balloonfish

Undulate skate, Raja undulata

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

Eastern Atlantic squirrelfish, Sargocentron hastatus

two eastern Atlantic squirrelfish eastern Atlantic squirrelfish

Hoefler's butterflyfish, Chaetodon hofleri

Hoeffler's butterflyfish Hoeffler's butterflyfish Hoeffler's butterflyfish

West African angelfish, Holacanthus africanus

West African angelfish

Grouper, Epinephelus sp.

Ballan wrasse??

Mediterranean moray, Muraena helena

Mediterranean moray eel

Blackear moray, Muraena melanotis

blackear moray eel

Brown damselfish, Chromis multilineata

Atlantic damselfish

Two-banded bream, Diplodus vulgaris

two-banded bream

arrow crab coral branch

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Last modified 15 April 2017