Ocean Education
We teach people to dive — and to understand why the ocean matters. Curiosity becomes stewardship.
Supporting the Blue Economy Through Responsible Diving
A small dive center creating meaningful connections between people, the ocean, and the local community on Santiago Island, Cape Verde.
Who We Are
A PADI dive center rooted in Cidade Velha — built for the ocean, and for the people who live beside it.
Cidade Velha Diving is a PADI dive center on Santiago Island, Cape Verde, based in the historic town of Cidade Velha. We exist to open the underwater world with care — teaching diving, guiding explorers, and treating the sea as a shared responsibility, not a commodity.
We founded this center because Santiago still offers something rare: authentic marine encounters, living cultural heritage, and a community that deserves tourism that gives back. Our work is small in scale by design — so every dive, every student, and every partnership can leave a positive mark on the coast we call home.
Our Mission
Three pillars guide everything we do — underwater and on shore.
Marine Conservation
From beach cleanups to responsible dive practices, we protect the ecosystems that sustain Santiago’s coast.
Sustainable Tourism
We welcome visitors in ways that support local livelihoods, respect heritage, and keep tourism human-scale.
How We Contribute
Everyday actions that connect diving with community, culture, and conservation.
Responsible Diving Tourism
Small groups, clear briefings, and practices that minimize impact on reefs and wildlife.
Underwater Cultural Heritage
Interpreting maritime history around Cidade Velha — where ocean and UNESCO heritage meet.
Beach Cleanups
Community cleanups on land and underwater — open to locals, visitors, and certified divers.
Accessible Diving
Welcoming first-timers and supporting inclusive pathways into the underwater world.
Community Engagement
Working with neighbours in Cidade Velha so tourism strengthens, rather than sidelines, local life.
Local Employment
Creating skilled ocean jobs on Santiago and investing in people who know these waters best.
Marine Education
Sharing ocean literacy with divers, travellers, and — increasingly — younger generations.
Citizen Science (Future)
Building capacity for community-based observations that support marine research.
Why Santiago
Not a mass-tourism island — a living place where biodiversity, history, and community still shape the shoreline.
- Santiago remains largely uncrowded compared with Cape Verde’s more developed tourist hubs — space for thoughtful, low-impact diving.
- Rich marine life along volcanic coastlines, with reefs, rocky formations, and encounters that feel wild rather than staged.
- Cidade Velha — UNESCO World Heritage — where Atlantic history and daily village life meet the sea.
- Underwater anchors, maritime traces, and coastal landscapes that invite heritage-aware interpretation.
- Volcanic geology and open-ocean conditions that make every dive a lesson in place, not just recreation.
Projects We’d Love to Develop
We are not only what we do today. We are building toward what Santiago’s blue economy can become.
Marine education for schools
Ocean literacy programmes that bring Santiago’s young people closer to the sea — with knowledge, pride, and opportunity.
Citizen science
Training divers and coastal communities to contribute structured observations that support research and management.
Biodiversity monitoring
Long-term tracking of marine life around Cidade Velha to inform conservation and responsible tourism decisions.
Beach & coastal conservation
Expanding cleanups into sustained coastal care — data, education, and recurring community action.
Inclusive diving
Pathways that make the underwater world more accessible to people often left out of ocean sports.
Safety training for fishermen
Practical ocean safety skills that protect lives and livelihoods along Santiago’s working coast.
Underwater heritage interpretation
Stories and guiding frameworks that connect divers to Cidade Velha’s maritime past with respect and accuracy.
Collaboration Opportunities
We are looking to collaborate with organisations that share a commitment to Cape Verde’s sustainable ocean future.
UNESCO
Ocean Decade
Universities
Researchers
NGOs
Government institutions
Tourism organizations
Dive professionals
Community groups
Our Commitment
Five promises that define how we work with partners, visitors, and our community.
We commit to protecting marine ecosystems.
We commit to responsible tourism.
We commit to sharing knowledge.
We commit to supporting our local community.
We commit to inspiring future ocean ambassadors.
About Tony
Tony Gomez-Monedero · Operations Director · PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
Tony is a PADI Instructor and the Operations Director of Cidade Velha Diving. With years of experience teaching and guiding divers around the world, he brings technical excellence and a deep personal commitment to Cape Verde.
He co-founded the center to grow diving on Santiago in a way that serves the ocean and the community — not only visitors. For Tony, every dive is an invitation to connect: with the sea, with Santiago, and with a more responsible future for the blue economy.
Let’s Build Something Together
Whether you represent an institution, a research project, or a community initiative — we would be glad to start a conversation.