Nautilus Diving Dakar

It is September 2026 and I am slowly coming back to who I am, three weeks after my father’s death. Going back to what I love, retrieving my energy.

Slowly.

It is maddening to be so slow: I usually do a zillion things at the same time. But I need to accept that my body does not have the same level of energy, because a considerable part of it is needed to process the sorrow for his loss.

So, I take it slowly. No rush.

As I am a mermaid, diving is not just fun and a recreational activity, but part of the healing process, part of my identity. Even if it is physically tiring, being in the underwater world brings me back to joy.

So, even after he passed away, canceling my trip to Dakar was never an option. And being in Dakar and not diving was also not on the menu.

The last thing I did before packing was to buy new torches and a strobe for the tank, as I hoped to do a night dive. By far my favorite one.

I found out about Nautilus Diving on the Facebook group Scuba Women. I asked for advice and was given their name as a reference. So I contacted Loïc and booked my dives for Saturday and Sunday. Meeting point: the club, at the hotel La Madrague on Ngor beach, at 14.00.

My host is Senegalese and, as such, behaves like an older brother who wants to make sure that nothing harms his little sis. He is very protective. So before “letting” me dive he wants to inspect the diving center. He asks me for their contact and calls them before my arrival in Dakar. Then, once I am there, despite his busy agenda, he finds the time to pick me up at the hotel, drive me 45 minutes from the other side of Dakar to the beach, carry my 23-kg equipment to the diving center and check the place. Once he is satisfied, he asks what time he needs to come back for me and leaves me there with the staff.

Nautilus Diving started its activities in 2009 and aims at establishing Senegal as a worldwide diving destination. You can tell immediately that they are super pro. They look at my equipment and tell me how to adjust the weight based on my configuration. I was considering exactly the same, so from now on I know I can relax, because they know their business. We also agree that, given the water temperature, I will be more comfortable renting a 3.0 mm wetsuit rather than using my 5.0 mm one.

It is the first time I dive in this part of the world, and I am thrilled to discover what Senegal looks like underwater. Though we are only four divers, we are split into two groups, because one of them is doing his last course dive to get his Open Water license. That means we are three with a divemaster, Olivier, who is French. Wonderful: the smaller the group, the better the dive. Saturday’s dive is not far from Ngor beach, where the center is located. A few minutes by zodiac and we arrive at the dive site, Shark Reef. We jump into the water and start exploring the reef. Satisfied with the check dive, I book for the following day.

The plan is to go to the National Park of the Madeleine Islands, 4 km from Dakar. I get lucky, because the meeting point is 15 minutes from my hotel, so I don’t need to get up too early. I book two dives, one at 9.00 and one at 14.00. My divemaster this time is Chris (Christophe), who is Senegalese, and I dive with him for both dives. The day is amazing, sunny, not too hot, the boat ride to the islands peaceful. We put on the gear, jump in the water and go down holding the rope, because there is a bit of current. It is a wreck dive, with a maximum depth of about 20 meters. Visibility is good, and my computer marks 31 degrees in the water. We take it easy, as the conditions are excellent. I test my new torch, looking under every rock and inside every hole for moray eels and other beautiful marine creatures such as shrimps, spider crabs and sea stars. While we are hanging over a sandy patch, Chris clears the sand from the bottom by waving his hand and suddenly a tiger ray appears. Without him I would overlook it; thanks to him, I can watch for a good while its markings, with brown stripes designed as camouflage to blend with the sandy bottom.

The surprises aren’t over. We spot a large stingray, placidly resting under a wreck. In fact, the area around the Îles de la Madeleine offers several small wrecks that can be explored underwater, and it is amazing to see how much marine life they attract: they are literally covered by clouds of fish. At about 20 m depth, without the torch it would be impossible to see the stingray in the shadow of the wreck. We get as close as possible and our presence does not seem to bother it at all. We have time to call the rest of the group. We also spot a few five-bearded rocklings. Another first for me, as this species is absent from the Mediterranean and typical of the north-eastern Atlantic. As the time to go back to the surface approaches, we launch the buoy, go up and wait for the zodiac to fetch us and bring us back to the diving center. The second dive is in the afternoon, so we have a nice lunch at the Relais Sportif, the restaurant that hosts the diving center. For the second dive, we explore the other side of the island.

I have a fourth dive booked with them on Thursday, but in the end I have to cancel it. It is my beloved night dive. My “older brother” organizes a dinner that night for me and other guests, and as much as I love night dives, not disappointing him is more important. So I say goodbye to my night dive and end up eating grilled lamb with great people (which is not bad either). Never mind: now I have a good reason to go back and dive with Nautilus Diving next time I am in Dakar.

Underwater, I find my peace. No phone, no talking, no chattering. No useless words. No noise other than that of the bubbles leaving the regulator. Full awareness of your body, immersed in the sea. A clean mind. Eyes filled with beauty.