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Dive & Snorkel Sites

Close by

Following are descriptions of a selection of the available dive and snorkel sites. They are located inside the most common area we dive in, between the bays of Santa Cruz and Tangolunda. The boatride to these sites is from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. Go to the other pages for descriptions of dive sites in the other areas.

“Tapescos”                    Tangolunda

This fascinating dive site is a gigantic rock formation standing on the seabed at 40m/130ft with it´s peak about 10m/30ft from the surface. It has everything from bizar outcroppings to canyons, holes, sand patches, walls and overhangs. A place to marvel at the big schools of Latin Grunts and Red Snappers passing by as well as Amber Jacks, groupers and the occasional Manta Ray. Although the sea is usually calm here, it´s a site for the more experienced diver, mostly because of the depth.

Impressive bottom composition with big limestone rocks often visited by Eagle Rays which pass by in pairs or schools with up to ten individuals. The depth here is 21m/70ft maximum and from the point you can follow the rocky bottom all the way up to Tejon beach if you want to and your air consumption allows you. In this shallower part you´ll still encounter various amazing rock formations with a variety of fish and sometimes turtles. In the sand you can usually find Stingrays.

“Morro Tejon”                   Chahué

An interesting dive site with a giant submerged rock with plenty of life around it. You can dive all around the rock or it´s also worthwhile spending the time exploring just one of the sides. You´ll be amazed at the amount of marine life you can discover if you hover for a while over a small area. There are lobsters, Arrowhead Crabs, Moray Eels, Snake Eels, starfish, octopusses, and often schools of Yellowtail Snappers, Surgeonfish or Latin Grunts eveywhere. It´s an ideal site for training dives.

"La Blanca South"                    Chahué

This rock, or little island, received its name (blanca means white) because of the “bird s**t” that covers it. Around it you find an abundance of marine life in variable depths, ranging from 6m/18ft to 27m/90ft, with a distinct bottom topography on each side. On he south side you´ll find impressive rock formations with sandy channels and canyons and a wide variety of fish. This area is frequently visited by  Eagle Rays and other bigger fish, including the occasional Nurse Shark. One group of divers even met with Orcas while diving here.

"La Blanca North"                    Chahué

The shallower inside of the island has some coral and lots of fish, while on the far east side you´ll find some interesting rock formations. You´ll find many different creatures from Stonefish to nudibranches and Arrowhead Crabs to Snake Eels, we even encounter sea horses here every once in a while. The depth goes to about 20m/66ft maximum on the west side of the island where you can dive along some cliffs that form small walls. The shallow sandy part is suitable for training dives, although it´s not always calm.

“Campanario”                    Chahué

Only a short boatride from Santa Cruz, this is a shallow site with much to discover. It has a sandy bottom filled with smaller and bigger rocks and pieces of coral scattered around the area. You can find a wealth of smaller marine life on the rocks and in the countless nooks and crannies, amongst others octopi, nudibranches and other sea snails, polyps, sea urchins, starfish, small lobsters and crabs, moray eels, Snake Eels and a variety of small fish species. Ideal site for beginners or a relaxed shallow dive.

"La Entrega"                    Santa Cruz

Here you find big coral plates at an average depth of 3m/10ft and a maximum depth of 8m/25ft, separated from boat traffic by buoys especially for snorkeling. Filled with marine life and very colorful, it´s an ideal site for beginners, night dives, training dives or for those who simply like to do a shallow and relaxed dive. Don´t be surprised when during the dive you get “encircled” by a school of thousands of sardines, an amazing experience! The site can also be reached by land for beach diving.

Close by

Following are more descriptions of a selection of the available dive and snorkel sites. They are located inside the most common area we dive in, from the bay of Santa Cruz to Maguey. The boatride to these sites is from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. Go to the other pages for descriptions of dive sites in the other areas.

"Los Erizos"                     Santa Cruz

Apart from many other forms of life, the most interesting here is the enormous amount of sea urchins (Erizos in Spanish) in black, red, brown, green and in distinct forms and sizes, especially when you dive here at night. The site is basically a mini underwater “mountain range” between depths of 12m/40ft and 22m/70ft, stretching out from the coast towards the east. On the south side there´s an interesting, shallow site we call “La Morena” because we once found a enormous Green Moray Eel there.

"El Barquito"                   Santa Cruz

This used to be the site of a wreck, but storms and hurricanes reduced it to bits and pieces. It´s still a very interesting site which seems to attract a lot of fish, often in big schools. You´ll find parts of the wreck scattered around over the rocky bottom in a big area, from shallow to the deeper end where a big anchor can be found in 66ft/20m. You can find it easily by following a massive chain that lies across the site ending at the anchor. Because of the surge this site is recommended for experienced divers.

"El Chelo"                    Santa Cruz/Organo

Here you´ll find a beautiful combination of rocks and corals where a cautious observer will discover an impressive amount of small, camouflaged species like sea snails, sponges, star fish, sea urchins, octopus, Christmas Tree Worms, and sometimes even sea horses. In the wintertime this site is the habitat of lots and lots of rays of varies species like the Southern Stingray, Yellow Stingray, Butterfly Ray, Electric Ray, Torpedo Ray and Eagle Ray. They come in all sizes from two centimeters up to two meters.

"El Violín"                    Santa Cruz/Organo

This dive site is an underwater cliff with its peak almost reaching the surface and its slope following the surrounding cliffs to a depth of 36m/120ft. The main attraction is a "bridge" formed by a monolith plate resting on two pillars of solid rock. Diving through here always makes for a fantastic underwater “Stonehenge” photo! There are also some smaller caves in which you occasionally find impressive Green Moray Eels of up to two meters long. The site is recommended for experienced divers only.

"Organo"                    Organo

It looks here like they threw in a whole bunch of bigger and smaller rocks in the ocean to make long slope, reaching from the surface down to where the rocks meet the sand. It´s a dive site full of nooks and crannies which attract a huge amount of marine life, especially, it seems, nudibranches. You can dive here from the shallow end to the deeper end, simply following the rocks or you can go down in the deeper part and dive around the corner, following the coastline and have the boat follow you.

"Morros Maguey"                    Maguey

This is an ideal site to explore in between and around a group of big rocks scattered on the seabed. A place full of Pufferfish, Butterflyfish, Angelfish, nudibranches, mollusks and occasionally turtles and Nurse Sharks resting under the overhangs of rock or coral. In the pieces of coral you may encounter sea horses, they seem to have settled down in this area. In the sand it´s not uncommon to find Stingrays, sometimes big ones. Very popular site for the beginner as well as for the experienced diver.

"Medregal"                     Maguey

A beautiful and exciting example of the cliffs that line the coast, but in this case underwater, that go all the way to the sandy bottom, at 36m/120ft, like huge walls shaped by the action of the sea and wind. To the delight of us divers, Manta Rays are frequently sighted here. Harmless and curious animals that you can encounter here in gigantic sizes of up to 5m/15ft. Another interesting sight are big schools of Yellowtail Snappers and schools of Parrotfish and Amber Jacks.