Africa

Nigeria

A long Gulf of Guinea coast where sea turtles are rescued and a record bull shark journey ended.

On pause, travel not recommended

On pause, travel not recommended. A government travel advisory says not to travel here, so we do not offer trips. Sources: Reisehinweise fuer Nigeria, Swiss FDFA (EDA), 1 Jun 2026; Marine Protected Area: a fundamental component of the blue economy, National Hydrographic Agency Nigeria, 2024; The Slow Tide: Nigeria's stalled start on marine conservation, Africa in Fact.

Why: EU and US citizens may be advised against tourist travel to Nigeria, so please check your own government's website. Our ethics check is paused. What we know: Nigeria has no marine protected areas at sea yet, and work to create them has been slow. We follow the research and share the stories, but we do not plan trips.

We share this country as a story and do not offer trips. This is not a judgement of the people or the ocean here. It only means that today we could not find a visit that meets our animal-welfare and safety standards. Places change, so we look again every year.

⚠️ Official travel advice is a separate question, and it differs by passport. EU citizens or US citizens may be advised against travelling there, so please check your own government’s website before you plan.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 5 Oct 2026. The UK FCDO (28 Sep 2026) advises against all travel to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina, Zamfara and the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River, and against all but essential travel to many other states. Lagos is in neither list. The FCDO also warns of piracy in Nigerian waters and strong rip currents. Sources: Nigeria travel advice, UK FCDO Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

WhalesTurtlesSharksDolphinsWildlife watching

Why Nigeria

Nigeria's coast near Lagos is where a bull shark tagged in South Africa was caught in July 2024, after a journey of at least 7,240 km around Africa. Olive ridley, green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles use these waters, and local teams rescue turtles caught in fishing nets. Humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins are recorded offshore, but sightings are rare and poorly studied. There are no marine protected areas yet, the sea has strong rip currents and water near the city is polluted. EU and US citizens may be advised against travel to parts of Nigeria, so please check your own government's website. Ocean Calling is only researching it for now.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

When to go

Nov-Mar. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

Official travel advice or our ethics check means we do not send guests here.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

On pause, travel not recommended

We follow government travel advice. We will look again when it changes.

This is not a judgement of the people or the ocean here. It only means that today we could not find a visit that meets our animal-welfare and safety standards. Places change, so we look again every year. Checked 26 Sep 2026.

Sources for this check

The story

Where in Nigeria

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Lagos coast and Lekki

On pause, travel not recommended

Sandy Atlantic beaches and lagoons where local teams rescue sea turtles caught in fishing nets.

Also seen: Sea turtles (rescue and release work, not a sighting trip)

When: Nov-Mar. November to March is the dry season, with less rain and calmer days. The sea has strong rip currents all year, and water near the city is polluted.

Badagry coast

On pause, travel not recommended

A quieter coast near the Benin border, with lagoons, long beaches and deep history.

Also seen: Sea turtles (they use this coast, but nesting here is not well studied)

When: Nov-Mar. November to March is the dry season. We have no reliable turtle nesting months for this coast yet.

Animals

Animals recorded in Nigeria

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Bull shark swimming in clear blue water off Quintana Roo, Mexico

Bull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Olive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa Rica

Olive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Green turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detail

Green turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Leatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the sea

Leatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral fin

Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Common bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bed

Common bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Mother and calf manatee diving together in the Casamance River, Senegal

West African manateeTrichechus senegalensisSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Two Atlantic humpback dolphin dorsal fins at the surface of calm water in Guinea-Bissau

Atlantic humpback dolphinSousa teusziiSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Scalloped hammerhead shark cruising in deep blue Red Sea water

Scalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewiniSeen in 57 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Oceanic whitetip shark with pilot fish in sunlit Red Sea water

Oceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Blacktip shark swimming in green water in the Galápagos

Blacktip sharkCarcharhinus limbatusSeen in 49 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Nurse shark swimming over a reef at Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Atlantic nurse sharkGinglymostoma cirratumSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Whitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in Belize

Whitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Blue sharkPrionace glaucaSeen in 50 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Blackchin guitarfish lying on pale sand beside rocks, with a shark-like tail and two tall dorsal fins

Blackchin guitarfishGlaucostegus cemiculusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Spiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Spiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Dusky grouperEpinephelus marginatusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Diver beside an Atlantic goliath grouper at Dry Tortugas National Park

Goliath grouperEpinephelus itajaraSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerable Milk sharkRhizoprionodon acutusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Two spotted ragged-tooth sharks resting under a rocky overhang at Aliwal Shoal, South Africa

Ragged-tooth shark (sand tiger)Carcharias taurusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered Atlantic weasel sharkParagaleus pectoralisSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Common smooth-hound swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a slim grey-brown body and two dorsal fins

Common smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Reed cormorant perched on a low stump among tall reeds

Reed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)Microcarbo africanusSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Close view of a small-spotted catshark head, with dark spots, resting on the seabed

Small-spotted catshark (lesser spotted dogfish)Scyliorhinus caniculaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Tope shark swimming in clear shallow water, seen from the side

Tope shark (school shark)Galeorhinus galeusSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

African darter with wings spread low over the water, droplets flying

African darterAnhinga rufaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Bluntnose sixgill shark swimming over the seabed at depth in the Gulf of Mexico

Bluntnose sixgill sharkHexanchus griseusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Marbled electric ray lying on a sandy seabed, spotted pattern visible

Marbled electric rayTorpedo marmorataSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Brown ray resting on a sandy seabed, with a blue-centred eyespot on each wing

Brown rayRaja miraletusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern Kitefin sharkDalatias lichaSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Velvet belly lanternshark swimming just above a dark seabed, with a violet sheen along its flank

Velvet belly lanternsharkEtmopterus spinaxSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Nursehound resting on a rocky ledge among sponges

NursehoundScyliorhinus stellarisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Common torpedo resting on sand, showing the dark spots on its round disc

Common torpedo (ocellate torpedo)Torpedo torpedoSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerable Smooth lanternsharkEtmopterus pusillusSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern Sharpnose sevengill sharkHeptranchias perloSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened Atlantic torpedo (electric ray)Tetronarce nobilianaSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Spiny butterfly ray resting on a sandy seabed among seagrass

Spiny butterfly rayGymnura altavelaSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Spinner shark swimming just under the surface of calm water, seen from above

Spinner sharkCarcharhinus brevipinnaSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasVulnerable Arrowhead dogfishDeania profundorumSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened Smooth butterfly rayGymnura micruraSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened Bigeye thresherAlopias superciliosusSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Common eagle ray seen from above, gliding over a rocky seabed with its long tail trailing

Common eagle rayMyliobatis aquilaSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered Longnose velvet dogfishCentroselachus crepidaterSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened Leafscale gulper sharkCentrophorus squamosusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Bignose shark swimming above deep-sea coral, filmed from a research submersible off North Carolina

Bignose sharkCarcharhinus altimusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Rough ray resting on a sandy seabed, with pale spots and eye-like marks on its disc

Rough rayRaja radulaSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Roughtail stingray resting half-buried in wet sand at the water's edge

Roughtail stingrayBathytoshia centrouraSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasVulnerable Finetooth sharkCarcharhinus isodonSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Round stingray resting on a rocky reef off La Palma, Canary Islands

Round stingrayTaeniurops grabatusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask Rocío Back to the Ocean Atlas

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