Top 5 Diving Colombia
Check out our Top 5 Diving in Colombia here, featuring some of Colombia’s most beautiful dive sites. With a huge variety of coral reefs, fish and other underwater creatures, Colombia is a top destination with Malpelo Island being the ultimate destination for shark diving.
1. Malpelo island
Location
Pacific, 400 kilometers from the mainland. This is Colombia’s most remote dive site and one of the best places to dive in the world.
Known for
– Manta rays, whale sharks (in summer) and nearly 400 species of fish
– “Shark diving capital of the world”
Level
Advanced. Due to strong currents not suitable for beginners.
How to get there.
With an organized package tour from Buenaventura or Cali, where you sleep on the boat.
(Photo: Diviac magazine)
2. National park Gorgona Island
Location
Pacific, 50km from the mainland. The largest coral reef in the Colombian Pacific.
Known for
-Turtles, hammerhead sharks and whale sharks
– Whales (during the migration from August through October)
Level
Advanced
How to get there
-From Buenaventura with an all-inclusive diving trip OR:
-Flight to Cali – Guapi, then by motorboat to Isla Gorgona (2h) and overnight in the former prison, which has been converted into a hotel
Update December 2023: The hotel is closed indefinitely, so divers can now reach the island only with an organized diving trip. This is the official website of Isla Gorgona, where you can book organized tours with hotel for Isla Gorgona. Here you can read more about the dive sites and the best time of year to dive in Isla Gorgona.
(Photo: Undersea Adventures)
3. Providencia and San Andres
Location
Caribbean coast, at 800km north of Colombia and 150km east of Nicaragua.
Known for.
-3rd longest coral reef in the world
-UNESCO Biosphere reserve
-More than 40 dive sites
-Shipwrecks
-Sea turtles, sharks, rays and lobsters
Level
Beginners and advanced
How to get there.
–San Andres: flight from e.g. Cartagena
–Providencia: flight from San Andres (30 min.)
4.Rosario and San Bernardo islands
Location
Caribbean coast, just under 50 km from Cartagena. 43 Islets and 28 dive sites, including 4 protected islets.
Known for
-Colombia’s most visited national park
-Great variety of tropical fish and corals
-Turtles and dolphins
Level
Beginners and advanced
How to get there.
By boat from Cartagena (Islas del Rosario 1u, San Bernardo 2u). You can buy a ticket at the pier Muelle Turístico de la Bodeguita. Staying overnight? Then check out the nicest hotels in Islas del Rosario and Islas San Bernardo.
5. Capurganá
Check our Top 5 Colombia for our other Colombian favorites. Here you can read our travel guides for popular travel destinations and off the beaten track destinations. Check out our itineraries and travel stories for inspiration for yourtrip in Colombia.