Diving San Andrés with Blue Life
Crystal clear water, warm water, colourful fish = that’s what awaits you when diving San Andrés!
Little over two hours by plane is what it takes to get from Bogotá to San Andrés. A bit of mainland and the rest is ocean! San Andrés is located near Nicaragua and most people wouldn’t think it belongs to Colombia.
And exactly this island was my destination for four days. I only had one plan: dive, dive, dive. I didn’t really care what else can be experienced on the island – I just wanted to spend three days diving. And now I’m going to tell you why you should also consider it too:
Dive Spots San Andrés
There are many dive spots all around the island, enough to be diving an entire week without repeating any spot. Most dive spots aren’t deep either and that’s just how I like them – I prefer to stay in the water longer than to do deep dives. Some places are quite similar, but each one is different in a way.
Water temperature: 29°C
Best time for diving: all year round – I dove there in February
Wetsuit: not necessary, but I chose a long 2-3mm
Dive computer: yes
Characteristics: some huge moraines and quite a lot lionfish (but no worry they hunt them here)
Dive site: Trampa de Tortugas
Depth: 18,6m
Dive time: 43 Min
Visibility: great
Dive site: La Rocosa
Depth: 14,8m
Dive Time: 60 Min
Visibility: great
Dive site: Raggaenest
Depth: 18,9m
Dive Time: 62 Min
Visibility: great
Dive site: Bajo Bonito
Depth: 15,7m
Dive Time: 75 Min
Visibility: great
Dive site: Los Recuerdos
Depth: 21,3m
Dive Time: 61 Min
Visibility: great
Dive site: Trilogia
Depth: 8,9m
Dive Time: 50 Min
Visibility: great
Why you should go diving in San Andrés?!
The water is crystal clear and the dive spots are quite close to where you get on the boat – so you won’t spend too much time getting to the dive spots.
Have I mentioned how cheap it is to dive in San Andrés? 50€ for a two tank dive including equipment rental. Yes, you hear me right!
You’ll find many Caribbean fish here, as well as gorgeous corals and some of them are huge soft corals that look like trees. They move softly with the currents – and some of them are that big that I feel small next to them.
Why Blue Dive Life is a great choice to dive with
I don’t recall why I went for Blue Dive Life, but I’m happy having made the decision to go diving with them. They are super organised, uncomplicated, chilled and have great new wetsuits.
I emailed them a little before my trip and told them the days I wanted to go diving, and that’s it. You can also walk in and sign up directly there.
We met at 8 am sharp at their dive shop. They were super efficient with distributing equipment and then we were off to the boat. (Of course after having signed the required paperwork.)
The dive briefings were short and precise and had all necessary information. Btw, they do also speak English and Portuguese – and of course Spanish.
After they assigned buddies, and conducting a buddy check we entered the ocean via a back roll.
Tip: don’t bring anything on the boat that you don’t want to get wet.
Conclusion: great dive shop!
Further tips and recommendations for diving San Andrés
Bring a biodegradable sunscreen or use a lycra shirt – the sun is burning down like there’s no tomorrow (why biodegradable? —> normal sunscreen will bleach the corals)
Most don’t use a wetsuit, but I simply feel better in one. I rented one for 15000 COP (approx. 5€) a day.
If you are curious how much the whole trip cost me, keep reading here.
If you are looking for other things to do and tips for San Andrés – and why you should be cautious too, read here.
