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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Europe and Mediterranean

Europe and Mediterranean

Tunisia

Mediterranean diving with groupers and rays, and an important loggerhead turtle nesting area.

Blue bay and seafront of Monastir seen from the Ribat
Monastir seafront from the Ribat · Photo: Amal Bourkhis on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Friguia Park (dolphinarium closed since 2016), Wikipedia; Monastir, Tunisia (Kuriat islands as a tourist attraction), Wikipedia.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Tunisia, including western areas near the Algerian border, and areas within 75km of the Libyan border. It describes the east coast as generally considered safe. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Tunisia Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingTurtlesDolphinsCoral reefs

Why Tunisia

Djerba and the Gulf of Gabès offer scuba and snorkelling with rays and groupers, alongside a rich food and cultural life, and Tabarka on the green Coral Coast has groupers, morays and underwater tunnels. At Monastir and Kuriat, loggerhead turtles nest in late spring and summer; this is a place for careful observation, not swimming. September and October look best for the water.

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

W. SaharaKazakhstanSudanChadRussiaFranceMaliMauritaniaNigerIsraelLebanonPalestineTunisiaAlgeriaJordanKuwaitIraqIranSyriaArmeniaBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryMoldovaRomaniaGermanyBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsPortugalSpainIrelandItalyUnited KingdomAzerbaijanGeorgiaSloveniaSlovakiaCzechiaYemenSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoDjerba and the Gulf of Gabès, TunisiaMonastir and Kuriat, TunisiaTabarka and the Coral Coast, Tunisia

When to go

Sep-Oct. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

The Kuriat islands near Monastir are an important loggerhead nesting area, but we could not yet check the visitor rules there. So we would visit only with local conservation guides, keep far from nests, and dive without touching anything. Dolphin, shark and turtle swims are not part of our plan.

Evidence is still thin here. We are checking again with official sources.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Tunisia

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Djerba and the Gulf of Gabès

Exploring

An island for scuba and snorkelling, with rays and groupers, and a rich food and cultural life.

🤿 In the water: Rays, Groupers, Sponges, Nudibranchs

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Bottlenose dolphins (possible, from the boat)

When: Oct. October looks best, with warm water and less summer heat.

Monastir and Kuriat

Exploring

An important loggerhead turtle nesting area, best known through conservation and careful observation, not swimming.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Loggerhead turtles, Seabirds

When: May-Jul. Loggerhead turtles nest in late spring and summer, most strongly in June and July.

Tabarka and the Coral Coast

Exploring

A green northern coast for small-group scuba and snorkelling among groupers, morays and underwater tunnels.

🤿 In the water: Groupers, Moray eels, Octopus and cuttlefish, Mediterranean reef fish, Caves and tunnels

When: Sep-Oct. September to early October looks best, with warm water after the summer peak. June is possible.

Animals

Animals recorded in Tunisia

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

Land animals
Loggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSandbar shark with its tall dorsal fin over a sandy seabed in HawaiʻiSandbar sharkCarcharhinus plumbeusSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlackchin guitarfish lying on pale sand beside rocks, with a shark-like tail and two tall dorsal finsBlackchin guitarfishGlaucostegus cemiculusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredDusky grouper underwater at Cabo de Palos, SpainDusky grouperEpinephelus marginatusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCommon smooth-hound swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a slim grey-brown body and two dorsal finsCommon smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangeredLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableNoble pen shell in Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, FR, iNaturalist research-grade observationNoble pen shell (fan mussel)Pinna nobilisSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredAtlantic bluefin tuna leaping out of choppy water, recorded in Hovedstaden, DenmarkAtlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnusSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilver-cheeked toadfish resting just above sandy seabed, with its pale belly and dark-spotted backSilver-cheeked toadfishLagocephalus sceleratusSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican flamingo wading in shallow water with its head lowered toward the surface, Yucatán, MexicoAmerican flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a northern gannet face, with pale blue eyes and a golden headNorthern gannetMorus bassanusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScopoli's shearwater skimming just above calm blue waterScopoli's shearwaterCalonectris diomedeaSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEuropean shag sitting on its nest of dry grass, dark green-tinged plumage and yellow gapeEuropean shagGulosus aristotelisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernYelkouan shearwater lifting off the sea surface with wings raisedYelkouan shearwaterPuffinus yelkouanSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
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