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I generally write about fantastic dive sites which are off the beaten path. These two Colombian islands more than qualify. San Andres is largely undiscovered by American and European divers. It has fantastic dive sites, beaches, casinos and great shopping; and is very easy for American divers to get to - fly to Panama City and switch to a flight to San Andres. You can leave Miami early in the morning and get an afternoon dive in San Andres.
Providencia is off all the paths, but still accessible - fly to San Andres and catch the commuter to Providencia. This is an undiscovered deserted island, with electricity, running water, cold beer and great diving. You can also get a late afternoon dive in Providencia.
History The islands and reefs are Colombian, but claimed by Nicaragua, and have in the past been a source of tension between Colombia and Nicaragua.
Like other Caribbean islands, San Andres and Providencia have a history of control by various European countries and romantic pirate tales. The first inhabitants were black slaves from Barbados and arrived around 1630. Later people came from England, Wales and Holland. Providencia was the site of an early Puritan colony - a sister colony to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Today locals fish, raise some fruit and vegetables and harvest coconuts. Oil and gas deposits are believed to exist offshore. Tourism is seen as very important and the Colombian government is currently attempting to raise awareness of the two islands.
The Islands are favored by great weather. From July to December there can be sporadic storms. The strongest winds are in June and July. The water temperature is between 81 and 86 degrees – t-shirt diving. Both Islands have reefs and lagoons, covered with a variety of hard corals and sponges.
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Providencia, Colombia – the Deserted Island
Providencia began as an important center of slave traffic which lead to piracy and the sale of contraband. The pirates were able to assault Spanish ships that passed-by, leading to an attack by the Spanish and the expulsion of all the English residents.
Providencia is in McBeen Natural National Marine Park - Colombia’s most extensive reef area. The barrier reef is 12 miles long and 660 yards wide. The archipelago is considered a biosphere reserve. Providencia’s maximum elevation is 360m above sea level.
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Accomodations
There are a few small hotels and some rooms in private homes. I was hosted by
the Sirius Hotel and Dive Center.
(Sirius is named after the brightest star in the sky after the sun.) The hotel and dive center have been in business for
20 years and still have the original family involved. The hotel has seven air conditioned rooms and suites which can handle
up to 22 guests. It is casual and friendly. If you are lucky you can set at the counter of the outdoor kitchen while
breakfast is being prepared. Lunch and dinner are available at local restaurants on the beach. For about $6.00 you
can get a beer and a complete, recently caught, snapper meal cooked over wood.
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Fish Fry at the Lighthouse (above)
Morning Catch (left) |
Diving
The dive center is a PADI center with two dive Masters. The nearest chamber is on San Andres – three hours away by boat.
The shop has a full complement of rental gear but do not plan to buy dive gear on the island. Their open boats can handle 12 divers but are best with six. Unless you take your own dive buddy or a group you might have a private boat. The busy times coincide with Colombian school holidays.
The diving is the best the Caribbean has to offer. While it will appear familiar to experienced Caribbean divers the health of the coral and sponges, the abundance of fish and the size of some species is exceptional. I swam with and photographed a school of French Grunts that seemed endless. Photographing them from the side was like swimming beside a yellow school bus. Most of the sites are a short ride from the dive center so the boat often returns to the shop after each dive. Some of the wall diving takes a little longer but is worth the trip.
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| Squirrel Fish, French Grunts, Queen Triggerfish |
There is truly diving for everyone here. Sunny shallows packed with grunts and snapper swimming around coral heads will remind you of Key Largo diving whereas sheer walls beginning at 70 feet and dropping to 200 are similar to Cozumel. If the weather permits there are a few sites where two currents converge and large schools of jacks and other predators assemble to feed. Diving is divided into four distinct areas. A few of the 30 named sites are described below.
The Northern Reef
The barrier reef runs from about 1 mile south of the island, along the eastern side of Providencia, to about 11 miles north of the island ending at a small exposed section of reef that has a navigational lighthouse on it (metal tubular tower with light on top) known locally as El Faro. A highlight is having a fish fry by the lighthouse.
Table Rock (25 feet) If Disney were to design a dive site this is it - a system of large chambers, interconnected with large passages providing good exits to open water. The chambers are teeming with silversides and the sunlight rays are spectacular.
The Bight (60-150 feet) Start the dive on a sand platform and drop onto the wall which is covered with beautiful corals and sponges while observing large jacks and rays in the open water.
Wreck of the Andy (35 feet) The Andy is a broken wreck on the outside of the reef. It is a good location to see Nassau Groupers as well as Reef and Nurse Sharks.
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| Indigo Hamlet, Smiling Boy, White-spotted Filefish |
Outside the Reef
These are the least dived of the island's sites because they are affected by the open ocean. When conditions are right the diving is very rewarding.
Dos Puntas - Two Points (60- 80 feet) This site consists of two underwater ridges on the outside of the reef. The many gorgonian and stony corals are in pristine condition.
El Jardin -The Garden (70 feet) The dive starts at on a gentle slope of sand and grass covered with queen conch and gradually slopes down to colorful corals and sponges, including many large barrel sponges. When the water is clear this site gives a real sense of the vastness of the Caribbean Sea.
Patch Coral
Tete's Place (30 - 40 feet) This site is in front of the dive shop about 1/2 mile off shore. The main attraction is the variety and number of fish. There are always large schools of goatfish, grunts, school masters and squirrelfish - truly swimming in an aquarium.
Manta City (45 feet) Sorry, no Manta Rays. The local term for any ray is manta. I did see large Southern Stingrays. The dive starts out over sand with large coral mounds the size of a house. Another treat is the Brown Garden Eels.
Paulino's Place (40 feet) Located near Manta City, this site is also a sand bottom with large patch coral. Southern stingrays, a large Jewfish and Hawksbill turtles frequent this site.
Wall Dives - West of Providencia
The extensive wall has a variety of sites with large schools of Creole Wrasse. Each site offers the potential of encountering turtles, eagle rays and the sharks. In some spots a ledge is visible at about 150 to 200 feet and in other places it is just deep blue. The current is moderate allowing opportunity to examine the wall at your leisure
Nicks Place (50 feet at top of wall) Reef sharks and turtles often cruise the wall. The dive can be done in either direction depending on the current. I saw jacks and black grouper on this dive far larger than any I have seen before.
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The Deco Day
Although I was there for the diving the are several activities for the deco day
»Exploring on your own with a rental motor bike or jeep
»Horse back riding
»An island tour with lunch on the beach
»Snorkeling and beach time
»Visiting some smaller keys with a hire boat
»Hiking to the top of the highest point on the Island
If you want to kick back on a nearly deserted beach, dive from a private boat and explore the best diving in the Caribbean this is the place to go. And, if you would like to get in some shopping and nightlife before heading home stay a few days in San Andres.
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San Andres Island, Colombia SA
Today, the population of San Andres is made up of many different races and cultures including recently arrived mainland Colombians who are engaged in the tourist trade and duty-free retail. Islanders speak Spanish, English and Creole.
The town, located on the north end of the island near the airport, has most of the accommodations,
restaurants and shops. The largest public beach is in town.
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I stayed at a great bed and breakfast,
Noblehouse, one block from the beach: 15 rooms that can accommodate 34 guests.
It is moderately priced but very nice and convenient. The owners Jannethe and Arthur are totally guest focused.
They can help solve problems as well as book all the activities you want, including small local restaurants.
Wireless internet is available in the rooms.
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The Diving
San Andres is a diver's paradise, with visibility of 75 to 100 feet and average water temperatures of 80F. The surrounding archipelago has been designated a UNESCO world underwater heritage site. The Archipelago contains 57 known species of coral and more than 270 known species of fish.
There are a limited number of dive operators on the island. I dove with Divers Team. The owner, Nelson Ramos, has been diving San Andres for 20 years. He knows all of the best dive sites. He also knows all of the underwater species – a rare find in dive guides. There are over 30 dive sites, 20 named.
Divers Team is a certified PADI International Resort, in business since 1986. They offer a full range of diving certification and specialty courses, mini courses and equipment rental. Their Dive boat leaves from the dock at the Aquarium Hotel. Their professional staff assembles your equipment, puts it on the boat, rinses it after the dive, and safely stores it ready for your next dive. They also provide free pick up at your hotel.
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Bar Jack Shadowing Goatfish
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I dove a variety of sites with them – under a boat in 20 feet of water with very strange anemones or jellyfish or something to a 132 foot dive on a spectacular wall. The diving is similar to other Caribbean diving but the health of corals, sponges and variety of fish is better than most other locations. Some of my favorite sites are:
Grouper Wall (132 feet) This is a spectacular wall, covered in coral and huge sponges. All the cracks were filled with fish. The top of the wall is also covered in fish.
PADI Point (73 feet) PADI Point is a very nice sloping patch reef. I photographed arrow blennies, masked hamlets and a pair of juvenile spotted drums on one dive.
Trilogy (27 feet) This is an interesting site with large rock heads and undercut cave like formations. The site is loaded with reef fish. The highlight was a school of permit.
Morgan’s Finger (75 feet) A nice coral slope with sand along the edge. Several fish schools including sailor’s choice and foureye butterflyfish. The butterflyfish are usually seen alone or in pairs. I also photographed shy hamlets and indigo hamlets both fairly rare fish.
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| Foureye Butterflyfish, Giant Crab, Golden Hamlet |
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The Deco Day
This is a destination where non-divers will be delighted and serious divers may need a few more days to explore topside. I spend most of a day driving a golf cart around the island and discovered enough side trips for two more days. It is easy to find something to do on your own or by joining one of the many commercial trips.
Visit spots all around the island, perfect for stopping to fish, take pictures or just hang out
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Horseback riding on the beach or in the mountains
- Kite surfing
- Sailing
- Bike tours
- Boat outings to nearby cays with lunch
- A historical church and a small museum to visit
- From the highest place on the island (approximate 400 feet above sea level), you have spectacular views of the Caribbean. The contrast of blues and greens make a mixture of colors the locals call the “seven colored sea.” They claim that San Andres is the only place in the Caribbean and Atlantic where this mix can be seen.
- Great beaches, some topless, if getting a sunburn is on your agenda.
Isla Gorgona - Adventure Diving for Advanced Divers
Few outside of Colombia, have heard of Isla Gorgona.
Gorgona is South of Malpelo, near the same latitude as the Colombian and Peruvian boarder. It is reached by a flight to Gaupi from Cali and then a fast boat (one hour).
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| Fruit Stand in Guapi |
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| Food and Cell Phone Shop |
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Gorgona became a National Park in 1984 to preserve the natural resources of both the underwater and land environments.
Today the park has modern accommodations for 100 guests, while maintaining a steadfast stance toward preserving the
natural environment. A bag is provided for guests to use to remove all of their non-biodegradable waste.
But, there is wireless in the rooms.
The spacious modern rooms receive electricity from a hydro-electric system and the
Park Director promises that by next year they will have mastered solar hot water for the modern shower.
Three meals are provided in a large open air dinning room. Even after a week,
I found each meal attractive and tasty. However, some peanut butter would have hit the spot.
The Deco Day - an Eco Deco Day
Gorgon's isolated condition means that a free day will be spend hiking, sunning,
doing topside photography and relaxing. If you check there might be a boat going to the
mainland and you could hang around Guapi for a few hours. However, my recommendation is to explore the Island
Gorgona is the site of a prison which existed for 20 years in the mid-1900’s.
There are some ruins which provide an interesting tour. There is a large classroom with
local natural history exhibits. There are three main trails for hiking. The hike I took
provided numerous opportunities for photography and the guide was a good naturalist.
I was pooped by the end of the hike but there was a boat waiting to take us back to the lodge.
The beach and a volleyball/basketball court are the other attractions.
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| Plumed Basilisk |
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For photographers there are several indigenous lizards, some snakes, a few birds and wildflowers.
One of the lizards, the Plumed Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) is renowned for its ability to walk (run)
on water for short distances. They are all around the park buildings.
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| Blue-footed Boobies |
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| White Faced Capuchins |
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There are also groups of White-faced Capuchin monkeys on the island. One group feeds on the palm berries near the dive shop.
They had babies and were fairly aggressive but photographable.
I also photographed lots of Blue-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds from the dive boat.
The waters between the Island and mainland Colombia attract large dolphins (Globicephalus melas –
also known as Long-Finned Pilot Whales) and Finback Whales between
June and November. Whale watching is one of Gorgona’s main attractions during that season.
Diving
In addition to the reported hammerheads the waters between the Island and mainland Colombia attract large dolphins (Globicephalus melas - also known as Long-Finned Pilot Whales) and Finback Whales between June and November. Whale watching is one of Gorgona's main attractions.
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| Yellow Snapper |
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| Jewel Moray Striking |
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Diving is from a small open boat and the dive sites are a few minutes from the shop.
The shop has some rental gear and lots of fresh water. They plan on having Nitrox available by the time you read this.
I did three dives a day and skipped an optional night dive.
Diving was plagued by both silty water and currents. I was assured by the dive staff that the
water clears up as we move out of winter into the summer. (I was there in early March.) Currents,
however, are part of Gorgona diving. The currents, like those near Galapagos, are what provides the
nutrients which attract the fish schools and the big predators. Even with the low visibility I saw sharks and
turtles on nearly every dive and rays on most dives. They just weren't photographable. I was able to get great
shots of smaller subjects by going slow and getting close.
Photography and fish watching are enhanced by the agreement with local
fishermen 'not to fish within eight miles of the island.'
One of the exciting aspects of Gorgona for Caribbean and Atlantic divers is that this is the
Pacific and many of the species are the ones you would expect to see in Indonesia or Fiji, e.g.,
Moorish Idols, Longnose Hawkfish and Jewel morays.
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| Panamic Fanged Blenny |
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Dive sites ranged from shallow sand slope to 100 foot plus walls. In all cases the coral was intact and very colorful.
I saw some of the most brilliant underwater colors on these dives I have ever seen.
With better visibility the colors would have been even more brilliant. Some of my favorite sites are described below.
Parguera (70 ft.) is a sandy rocky slope with lots of fish. There were several
turtles and a barracuda school near the surface. I also saw several small schools of different species of jacks.
Remanso del Homo (60 ft.) is also a sloping wall with lots of coral heads.
I saw the largest green eel I have ever seen at this sight. The shallows were teaming with fish.
Planchon (60 ft.) is in front of the lodge and has a small wreck as well as lots of
tires (The site name.) There were lots of fish on the wreck including a small school of Moorish Idols. There
was also a huge resident school of yellow snapper. The tires and rocks yielded a very cooperative octopus.
Plaza de Toros (Bullring) (100 ft.) is described by the dive guides as the place to see rays.
At about 75 feet, crawling downward hand over hand on the rocks, I went around a large rock, discovered that
I had been in the lee of the current and with camera gear in one hand and the other on a rock blew off the wall.
Needless to say, I didn't see the rays but did make a safe ascent.
Aquario (40 ft.) as the name implies is a shallow dive loaded with fish. There were schools
of juveniles of several species congregating around the small coral heads and rocks.
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| Longnose Hawkfish |
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Piedra Mora (50 ft.) is a medium depth dive with lots of huge rocks. The rocks had partial
covering of bright red fan coral which in turn was home to several Longnose Hawkfish. There were also several large Green Morays,
a large Jewel Moray and at least two turtles being cleaned by angelfish.
We did three dives on the back of the Island but all were plagued by low visibility. However, this side of the island had
hundreds of Blue Footed boobies sitting on the rocks so I made good use of the dive intervals doing bird photography.
I plan on going back in the summer when the visibility is better. Gorgona is loaded with reef fish and pelagic fish
as well as turtles and rays. As noted above there are also several attractive photo subjects on the island.
For more information about this island, see
www.concesionparquesnaturales.com, or email
turismoreceptivo@aviatur.com.co
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Conclusion
These three Colombian Islands provide a unique set of experiences, a nearly deserted island joined by a short flight to a modern
island with all the amenities one could desire. A World Heritage marine and land park with no residents other than you and the park staff.
Providencia and San Andres, in the Caribbean, are safe and easily accessible from Panama City. Other
than during Colombian holidays they are not crowded and are reasonably priced.
Gorgona requires some travel and offers Pacific diving. All have healthy underwater
environments and rewarding topside opportunities. |
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| Plumed Basilisk on Isla Gorgona |
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Copyright 2007 Tom & Susan Isgar All rights reserved.
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