jaque88
Registered
I recently have returned from a trip to Cartagena, Colombia. I spent about five full days in the city, three of them scuba-diving in its waters. I have read some comments on the Internet, whether on blogs or other sites, stating that –for diving alone- Cartagena is not a worthy destination. While the diving off Cartagena is not as spectacular as some known A-list diving destinations in the world (i.e; Cozumel or Palau), it still has its appeal and attraction. I thoroughly enjoyed the diving in Cartagena, and I plan to return.
I did my diving with the dive operator Cartagena Divers. They are located in the Barrio San Diego section in the Centro Histórico, or the Historical Downtown, or Walled City. Owners Alberto Lotero and Isabel Giraldo, a husband-and-wife team, run a well-managed and professional operation, and they make every effort to accommodate their clients. The instructors-dive guides on staff are friendly, competent, and take pains to ensure the safety as well as the enjoyment of their divers.
They operate two-tank dive trips daily. I went out with them three consecutive mornings, completing a total of six dives at five different sites. The waters were a comfortable lower 80-degrees Farenheit range; the undersea life is healthy and pretty diverse. I particularly enjoyed the underwater museum of metal sculptures, named “Museo de la Armada Nacional” (National Navy Museum), and an adjacent shipwreck; both of threes being on the same dive site. It seems there exist quite a few wrecks in the waters around the islands and islets in Cartagena’s bay. I did not see any large pelagics on my dives, but there were a wide variety of your typical Caribbean reef fish, as well as rays, eels, and the occasional sea-horse. Diving depths ranged from approximately 70ft.-76ft. max on a first dive, to 50ft –54 max on a second dive.
Because Cartagena Divers’ dive excursions return to port by 12:30p, their dive spots are around Isla Barú (Barú Island) and they tend to not venture to more distant locations. I understand that some other operators do go to more remote dive locations, mostly around the Rosario Islands, where perhaps the underwater environment is more impressive or spectacular (I cannot comment because I have not been). However, these excursion make for a longer day, as they do not return to port until approximately 5:00p – 6:00p.
I did my diving with the dive operator Cartagena Divers. They are located in the Barrio San Diego section in the Centro Histórico, or the Historical Downtown, or Walled City. Owners Alberto Lotero and Isabel Giraldo, a husband-and-wife team, run a well-managed and professional operation, and they make every effort to accommodate their clients. The instructors-dive guides on staff are friendly, competent, and take pains to ensure the safety as well as the enjoyment of their divers.
They operate two-tank dive trips daily. I went out with them three consecutive mornings, completing a total of six dives at five different sites. The waters were a comfortable lower 80-degrees Farenheit range; the undersea life is healthy and pretty diverse. I particularly enjoyed the underwater museum of metal sculptures, named “Museo de la Armada Nacional” (National Navy Museum), and an adjacent shipwreck; both of threes being on the same dive site. It seems there exist quite a few wrecks in the waters around the islands and islets in Cartagena’s bay. I did not see any large pelagics on my dives, but there were a wide variety of your typical Caribbean reef fish, as well as rays, eels, and the occasional sea-horse. Diving depths ranged from approximately 70ft.-76ft. max on a first dive, to 50ft –54 max on a second dive.
Because Cartagena Divers’ dive excursions return to port by 12:30p, their dive spots are around Isla Barú (Barú Island) and they tend to not venture to more distant locations. I understand that some other operators do go to more remote dive locations, mostly around the Rosario Islands, where perhaps the underwater environment is more impressive or spectacular (I cannot comment because I have not been). However, these excursion make for a longer day, as they do not return to port until approximately 5:00p – 6:00p.
