CABO VERDE - UNDERWATER EXPLORATION IN THE PALMEIRA CAVES
I spent a lot of time in the village of Palmeira. The village is small, the life simple, everything a sailor needs to get a little done. And then, having toured the possible occupations, I finally decided to try some immersion to see if the place would offer some nice surprises. Just like around the Madeira archipelago, the coral here has nothing exuberant about it. Shorter, without abundant diversity, it offers a "nice" decor but not really a great show. And then, approaching the coastal drop off I discover what would become my center of interest for the coming weeks, the entrance of a cave.
A cave? I should rather write "a network of caves". I did several dives and I discovered up to 6 cave entrances on less than 1000m of coastline. It is assumed that several dozen caves are thus arranged along the west coast of Sal. To venture alone in the path of a cave is not very reassuring. Slowly, day after day I pushed my exploration a little further. Some caves offer me more than 100m of entry to the underwater interior of the island. Until you can no longer discern the light from the entrance.
The entrance is superb, made up of a blue background and schools of red and yellow fish formed by groups of ludjans and soldierfish. The ceiling is covered with a carpet of yellow anemones. Magic. My camera is having a blast. Deeper, I discover bones composed of animal jaws and vertebrae. Also, turtle shells protrude from the mud. Obviously, someone comes to finish their meals here! Everything seems to have remained the same for millennia. An unforgettable discovery!
UNDER THE LAVA OF PALMEIRA
MAESHA'S LONG ROAD: Underwater Exploration in the Palmeira Caves (w...
: LA LONGUE ROUTE DE MAESHA • Exploration sous-marine dans les grottes de Palmeira
), but Marc Allaria (
