Below blue water diver
Registered
Dates August 14-18
Operators: native divers/Mares Ecuador
Experience level required: intermediate
Rating 4/5
8/14 Baya Puerto Lopez
8/14 Baya Puerto Lopez
8/15 Arcadhos
8/15 Arcadhos
8/15 Baya Puerto Lopez (night)
8/16 Bajo Cope
8/16 Bajo Cope
8/17 Bajo Cope
8/17 Bajo Cope
8/18 Isla De La Plata
8/18 Isla De La Plata
At 01 degrees south this is officially my first “South Pacific” diving trip. Despite missing the main prize this was an enjoyable and recommended trip filled with many wonderful creatures.
Baya: A deceiving first start
Most of the dive shops will first take you either as a shore or a short boat dive across the bay to the boat launch at Puerto Lopez. This isn’t your routine checkout dive. It’s outer break wall is packed with endless schools of damselfish (a staple of coastal Ecuador reefs saw them every dive) good numbers of angelfish (mostly Cortez with some kings, more on kings later) and decent starter corals. Inside the launch? Puffers puffers puffers and more puffers! I think I saw over 50 at this site in a single dive, Totally fearless of divers and plenty willing to pose for pictures. anemones grow like grass and blanket most of the bottom, Lizardfish, sea bass, and snake eels slither through the beds. In the rocks you’ll find seahorses (I found a dozen on the first dive and stopped counting) and octopus (8 total on the trip an all time record). Night dives discovered lobsters, morays, cornetfish, and rays from the size of a hand to a massive butterfly ray. I’d give Baya a 9/10, a real muck divers delight.
Offshore diving
I dove two sites. But before we talk about those we gotta talk about getting there. Boat rides were long and difficult, many people lost their lunch and I nearly did on one of my days of diving. The sea can be very rough here. Humpback whales came in close to check us out and sometimes chased our wake. You don’t need a whale watching tour if your diving you see tons of them! You’ll see in a lot of videos the water being green. This is true to life. What the videos fail to show is the large and difficult swells on sites. You often cover very little ground staying in place as the swell drags you across the reef and back to your starting point, sometimes as much as 100 feet of movement. You’ll see fish and turtles thrashed across the reef struggling to deal with it and if your not careful you will too! The archados reef is a real gem. Tons of fish of all kinds to be seen and once you got the swell down it’s a very enjoyable dive. The other site bajo cope is a mixed bag. Allegedly home to the largest gathering of manta rays they failed to make an appearance, you need cold water for that to happen and it didn’t occur when I was there. The swell basically locks you into place. It’s cold, green, hazy and with the whales singing it’s a very Erie place. You’ll see big groups of cleaner king angelfish waiting around for mantas and you’ll get excited watching them dart off only to return empty handed. Although I didn’t personally see them mantas are more common at isla de la plata and if given the choice you should try there instead. I’d give archados a 8/10 and cope a 4/10, it’s a real drag if there’s no mantas
Isla de la plata
Despite a long boat ride this site offers the most balanced diving of the trip. It’s easy enough for beginners. Enough fish to please experienced divers, and elusive oddballs to satisfy the real nuts. Mantas we’re seen here all week with the exception of the day I went. But I still had walls of fish, and a nice guitarfish! If you dove here all week you wouldn’t be missing much elsewhere
The dive operators were both good with good guides and boats. The equipment is old but what can you do you’re in a pretty remote place. Don’t expect mantas and be surprised when they show up. All in all good trip good dives and I’d recommend going
Operators: native divers/Mares Ecuador
Experience level required: intermediate
Rating 4/5
8/14 Baya Puerto Lopez
8/14 Baya Puerto Lopez
8/15 Arcadhos
8/15 Arcadhos
8/15 Baya Puerto Lopez (night)
8/16 Bajo Cope
8/16 Bajo Cope
8/17 Bajo Cope
8/17 Bajo Cope
8/18 Isla De La Plata
8/18 Isla De La Plata
At 01 degrees south this is officially my first “South Pacific” diving trip. Despite missing the main prize this was an enjoyable and recommended trip filled with many wonderful creatures.
Baya: A deceiving first start
Most of the dive shops will first take you either as a shore or a short boat dive across the bay to the boat launch at Puerto Lopez. This isn’t your routine checkout dive. It’s outer break wall is packed with endless schools of damselfish (a staple of coastal Ecuador reefs saw them every dive) good numbers of angelfish (mostly Cortez with some kings, more on kings later) and decent starter corals. Inside the launch? Puffers puffers puffers and more puffers! I think I saw over 50 at this site in a single dive, Totally fearless of divers and plenty willing to pose for pictures. anemones grow like grass and blanket most of the bottom, Lizardfish, sea bass, and snake eels slither through the beds. In the rocks you’ll find seahorses (I found a dozen on the first dive and stopped counting) and octopus (8 total on the trip an all time record). Night dives discovered lobsters, morays, cornetfish, and rays from the size of a hand to a massive butterfly ray. I’d give Baya a 9/10, a real muck divers delight.
Offshore diving
I dove two sites. But before we talk about those we gotta talk about getting there. Boat rides were long and difficult, many people lost their lunch and I nearly did on one of my days of diving. The sea can be very rough here. Humpback whales came in close to check us out and sometimes chased our wake. You don’t need a whale watching tour if your diving you see tons of them! You’ll see in a lot of videos the water being green. This is true to life. What the videos fail to show is the large and difficult swells on sites. You often cover very little ground staying in place as the swell drags you across the reef and back to your starting point, sometimes as much as 100 feet of movement. You’ll see fish and turtles thrashed across the reef struggling to deal with it and if your not careful you will too! The archados reef is a real gem. Tons of fish of all kinds to be seen and once you got the swell down it’s a very enjoyable dive. The other site bajo cope is a mixed bag. Allegedly home to the largest gathering of manta rays they failed to make an appearance, you need cold water for that to happen and it didn’t occur when I was there. The swell basically locks you into place. It’s cold, green, hazy and with the whales singing it’s a very Erie place. You’ll see big groups of cleaner king angelfish waiting around for mantas and you’ll get excited watching them dart off only to return empty handed. Although I didn’t personally see them mantas are more common at isla de la plata and if given the choice you should try there instead. I’d give archados a 8/10 and cope a 4/10, it’s a real drag if there’s no mantas
Isla de la plata
Despite a long boat ride this site offers the most balanced diving of the trip. It’s easy enough for beginners. Enough fish to please experienced divers, and elusive oddballs to satisfy the real nuts. Mantas we’re seen here all week with the exception of the day I went. But I still had walls of fish, and a nice guitarfish! If you dove here all week you wouldn’t be missing much elsewhere
The dive operators were both good with good guides and boats. The equipment is old but what can you do you’re in a pretty remote place. Don’t expect mantas and be surprised when they show up. All in all good trip good dives and I’d recommend going
