AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Shark Bay — also known locally as Feijoal Bay — is a stretch of shallow, crystal-clear water on the northeast coast of Sal Island, Cape Verde, where juvenile lemon sharks glide calmly between the legs of wading visitors. It is one of the few places on Earth where you can stand knee-deep in the Atlantic and watch these sand-colored predators move through their natural nursery habitat, only metres away.↗↗
The bay's exceptionally shallow, sandy seabed extends far from shore, rarely deeper than waist height. This protected environment makes it a critical breeding and nursery site where young lemon sharks spend their first years safe from open-ocean predators. For travellers, it means an intimate wildlife encounter that feels almost otherworldly — sharks circling your ankles in warm, sun-dappled water with white sand beneath your feet.↗↗
Meeting the Lemon Sharks
The lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) takes its name from the distinctive yellowish-brown hue of its skin — perfect camouflage against the sandy shallows here. Adults can grow to 3.4 metres, but the juveniles you encounter at Shark Bay are smaller, curious, and entirely unthreatening to humans. According to the International Shark Attack File, there have been only ten unprovoked lemon shark attacks worldwide, none fatal, and all occurred in Florida or the Caribbean.
