diving in Venezuela

[lozem]

Hello,
I'm going to Venezuela at christmas, we're hoping to dive in Morrocoy national park but Apparently the coral was destroyed in the 1990's. Has anyone dived there recently? Is it good? If it's going to be disappointing please can you recommed somewhere else in Venezuela.
Many thanks

[drbill]

Although I've never been there, I hear Los Roques is the place to dive in Venezuela. Las Aves may also be worthwhile. Let us know what you find there. I've been interested in the possibility for a while.

Dr. Bill

[Cudabait]

I grew up in that country and also started my diving there at a pretty young age. Have been diving all over that place. If you are going to be up in Caracas, there are a couple of dive shops there. A good one is located not too far from La Carlota airfied, I think in Las Mercedes. You can check with them and they can point you in the right direction. My suggestion, if you've never been there is to hook up with a group and go with them. Puerto La Cruz is to the east of Caracas. Lots of near islands and it is now in the park area. Last time I went I had made arrangements in Caracas for the guide and boat. Few weeks later my wife and I took a first class bus from Caracas toPuerto Cabello (West of Caracas) Spent a few day there. We took backpacks. I suggest you do this place duriong the week. You'll have it almost to yourself. Good snorkling, pretty good scuba. Not advanced conditions. Also, I'm sure you are aware, the political climate in Venezuela right now is not the best. So.........BE CAREFUL!! If you speak Spanish, you'll be much more comfortable. Not a lot of English in the countryside.

[Furge]

I have been told that the best diving in Venezuela is in the archipelago of Los Roques and Las Aves. I am going on a business trip to Venezuela shortly and would be quite interested in information of who is the best scuba diving operation in Los Roques. Info on a nice 'posada' is also welcome.
Thanks!

[neptunesdream]

Iozem, I will be in Venezuela over the holiday as well. I have done a bunch of research I am staying in Puerto La Cruz. I believe there is good diving in the area, but have been reading that some strong currents exist in the Parque Nacional Mochima area. I am planning on diving Los Roques, because as you can see from the other posts it is apparently the place to go. I will be in Venezuela for 6-weeks so if you hear of any other locations I would love to know - my goal is to dive at least every weekend and spend the week studdying spanish.

Brian.

[xagudo]

Hello everyone,
I am a venezuelan diver and I´m pleased to see all the interest in diving here. I strongly suggest Mochima National Park in Pto La cruz. It has great diving wiht lots of little caves and good corals. This time of the year is the warmest in the water and only in certain areas there are strong currents. You can contacto Aquatic Adventures at: http://www.aquaticadven.com/ I have never been to Los Roques but this is probably one of the best spots since it´s on the same barrier reef ring of Bonaire. If you´re going there I recommend Sesto Continente Dive Shop. You can reach them through their website at http://www.scdr.com They are the most experienced in Los Roques Diving. This weekend I will be diving in Morrocy and I´ll report next monday the conditions, but yes, during the 90's there was a major ecological strike to the reefs and it´s not as healthy as it used to be, but still is a great dive spot. Another grat place for wreck diving is Puerto Cabello, abput 2:30 hours by car from Caracas. There are a lot of nice wrecks, including one giant german cargo ship sunk about 2 years ago, laying 100 to 120 feet deep. If you plan to go there I recommend a Dive Shop called La Tienda de buceo: latiendadebuceo@hotmail.com and if you plan to stay for more than one day I recommend staying at an "Eco Lodge" in La Ciénaga, which is owned by the man who sinks all these ships, therefore he´s the best to guide you through these wrecks. You can contact him on this website: http://www.geocities.com/cienaganet/
There are lots of other nice places, I recommend you visit http://www.scubanews.com.ve this is a Scuba club I´m a member of and they plan trips every weekend to different places. Check the calendar and you can join us to any of the trips or we will guide you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions about diving in Venezuela and I will happily guide you.
Happy Diving and Greetings from Venezuela,

PS: The political climate is certainly stressing, but there is no real danger right now. Only if a major event happens you should be careful, but right now everything is fine.

[RoatanMan]

Great post, lot's of info- thanks for taking the time to just not sell a particular resort or deliver spam- but sending along some great advice.

I have been diving Aves and Roques more than a few times, and enjoyed it very much. We dove from the Antares (no longer there?) and did many shipwrecks in shallow water with strong current. It was a blast.

The situation on the mainland (and there is NO need to visit there) is irrelevant to the diving I mention above.

Just know that the transfer from the International Airport to the Domestic Airport will require the assistance of a porter.