With extremely long Carribean and Pacific coastlines, Colombia is developing into one of South America's best scuba diving destinations. Malpelo Island (Pacific) is well known as one of the top diving destinations in the world and there's also excellent diving in the Carribean.
Diving in the Carribean Coast
The clear waters of the Carribean coast offer some of the best scuba diving in Colombia. There's excellent diving at the Carribean islands of San Andres and Providencia (Providencia's diving is superior). On the mainland of Colombia, Santa Marta and Taganga both have good diving - Taganga is a great place to undertake a cheap scuba diving course. Up and coming diving destinations include the less visited Capurgana and San Bernardo Islands. In Colombia, a PADI certificate typically costs about $250 for a five day diving course.
Malpelo Island & the Pacific Coast
The more adventurous divers will head to Colombia's Pacific coast. There's fantastic diving at Malpelo Island - this is one of the worlds best diving hotspots. Malpelo Island offers cold water diving in a very rich marine environment - here you'll be diving with and assortment of marine creatures including hammerhead and whale sharks. Malpelo Island is 36 hours by boat from the port town of Buernaventura. A simpler means of access is to arrange a diving package that includes flights from Cali or Popayan to Guapi (Cauca) from where it's just one hour by fast boat to Malpelo Island. The Colombian boats Doņa Mariela and Maria Patricia are the cheapest means of visiting Malpelo - the cost is about 3,500,000 Colombian pesos per person for an eight night package (both these boats also offer diving trips to Gorgona Island). In addition, Inula offers trips out of Puerto David in Panama (about US $3500 per person), and the Undersea Hunter offers packages from Puntarenas in Costa Rica (about US $6500 per person).
There's good diving in Colombia's Pacific coast that can be arranged from the small beach resort of Bahia Solano in Choco region or the prison island of Gorgona. Currents are strong throughout the Pacific Coast - you need to be an experienced diver.
