CATALINAS ISLANDSGeneral description of the different islands The Catalinas Islands are a group of different volcanic rock formations that emerge to the surface off the Flamingo Bay providing the special setting for our abundant marine life. Huge manta rays, white tip reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, devil rays, schools of cow nose rays as well as schools of jacks and grunts are among the most common species that divers usually spot in our rich waters. The bottom is mostly volcanic and the average maximum depth is 70 - 80 feet. Visibility, currents and conditions in general tend to change every day. Currents, when present, are not strong, divers drift with it and the boat follows to pick them up at the end of the dive. Visibility varies from 30 feet to 60-70 feet, depending on the day and the season.Every different rock is an excellent dive site, and the most popular ones are: CATALINAS Different sites: Punta Norte: Schools of rays and jacks, Mantas.70-80 feet Punta Sur: Spotted Eagle Rays, tropical fish Mantas. Shark Alley: White tip reef sharks. Mantas. Cow nose rays The Reef: Moray eels, octopus, tropical fish. DIRTY ROCK: Big schools of angelfish, barber fish and damsel fish .Mantas 70-80ft THE ELEPHANT: White tip reef sharks, schools of grunts, moray eels. Parrot fish 70-80ft SOMBREROS: Soft corals, variety of rays and schools of surgeon fish. Devil rays. 50-60ft THE OVEN: Beautiful wall covered with soft corals, octopus, and moray eels. Puffers. 60-70ft DANGEROUS: Big schools of grunts and angel fish, pork fish, trigger fish. Morays 70-80ft CHIMICHURRI: Variety of puffers, sharks, trumpet fish, Moorish idols, triggerfish.60-70ft SHALLOW DIVE SITES Closer to shore there's a number of interesting shallow sites. Always rocky and volcanic, these sites present more coral growing, from nice soft coral to hard coral in beautiful colors such as green, yellow and brown. The average maximum depth here is 40 - 50 feet and marine life is very colorful and tropical. Puffers and porcupine fish are very abundant, from the spotted green puffer, to the Guinea fowl puffer and the freckled porcupine fish, there's a great variety of different ones. Also, parrot fish, butterfly fish and damselfish, and a variety of wrasses like: dragon wrasse, spinster wrasse, chameleon wrasse and rainbow wrasse. Moray eels come in different colors and shapes, such as the fine spotted moray eel, jewel moray eel , zebra moray and tiger snake eel. Among the different shallow dive sites, these are the most Beautiful ones: PENAHUASTE, ARCO IRIS, HONEYMOON COVE; BIRD'S ISLAND LA PLATA ISLAND, CONCHAL and GUACAMAYA COVE. |
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