diving in EL SALVADOR & NICARAGUA
- Thread starter malganick
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Tour company offering diving excursions to any part of Nicaragua including the lakes:
www.scubanica.com
www.scubanica.com
Met a guy on holiday that has just left El Salvadore - he said there was not much diving there, something about a volcano I think but not much more.
He's on the move at the moment but when he gets back in touch I'll see if I can get some more info....
Jonathan
He's on the move at the moment but when he gets back in touch I'll see if I can get some more info....
Jonathan
Here's the answer I got:Hi Mate
Hi Jonathan
Diving in El Salvador: Pacific is usually not diveable, when it is it's quite boring as there is no reef and only two wrecks, both in shallow water and pretty well smashed up. The sea dive sites are isolated piles of rock in about 20m of water, each pile being no more than two or three minutes swim in circumfrance. Can see a lot of sea a lot of sea life though and once saw a manta ray.
Otherwise you're looking at Lago Ilopango, a volcanic lake over 200m deep and 500m above sea level. Above the thermocline is green and generally low viz of between 7m and 3m. All the life is in this zone, around 3 species of fish and one species of crab. A lot of green weed close to the rocks in the top 3m. Below the thermocline, around 15m is clear, often up to 20m viz and around 27 deg C. Nice terrain with huge drop-offs and some good rock formations (actually not rock, usually volcanic mud), light is limited. At deeper than 40m you need a good light as its like cave diving there is almost no ambient light.
If the person is moving to El Salvador then diving the lake is OK as its really all you've got, if visiting then one Sunday, two tank dive, is sufficient.
Dive with El Salvador Divers, they are the most active group and they have a reasonable dive shop in the city plus two boats at the lake. As far as Nic is concerned I don't know much but I hear it is a lot better than Salvador as it has Carib and Pacific coast.
El Salvador Divers:
Alex Hasbun: Owner and Operator. Speaks good English.
3a Calle Pte # 5020
Col Escalon
San Salvador
El Salvador
Tel: +503 264 0961
Fax: +503 264 1842
e-mail: esdivers@elsalvador.com
web: www.elsalvadordivers.com
Cheers
Paul
Hi Jonathan
Diving in El Salvador: Pacific is usually not diveable, when it is it's quite boring as there is no reef and only two wrecks, both in shallow water and pretty well smashed up. The sea dive sites are isolated piles of rock in about 20m of water, each pile being no more than two or three minutes swim in circumfrance. Can see a lot of sea a lot of sea life though and once saw a manta ray.
Otherwise you're looking at Lago Ilopango, a volcanic lake over 200m deep and 500m above sea level. Above the thermocline is green and generally low viz of between 7m and 3m. All the life is in this zone, around 3 species of fish and one species of crab. A lot of green weed close to the rocks in the top 3m. Below the thermocline, around 15m is clear, often up to 20m viz and around 27 deg C. Nice terrain with huge drop-offs and some good rock formations (actually not rock, usually volcanic mud), light is limited. At deeper than 40m you need a good light as its like cave diving there is almost no ambient light.
If the person is moving to El Salvador then diving the lake is OK as its really all you've got, if visiting then one Sunday, two tank dive, is sufficient.
Dive with El Salvador Divers, they are the most active group and they have a reasonable dive shop in the city plus two boats at the lake. As far as Nic is concerned I don't know much but I hear it is a lot better than Salvador as it has Carib and Pacific coast.
El Salvador Divers:
Alex Hasbun: Owner and Operator. Speaks good English.
3a Calle Pte # 5020
Col Escalon
San Salvador
El Salvador
Tel: +503 264 0961
Fax: +503 264 1842
e-mail: esdivers@elsalvador.com
web: www.elsalvadordivers.com
Cheers
Paul
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