I'm Going To Chile, but where?

[Rambo2]

Last night I went to see Amy Tan reading from her new novel, The Valley of Amazement, at a Barnes & Nobel in New York. Before I went into the book store I won a round trip ticket to Santiago, Chile from New York and a round trip from Santiago to anywhere in Chile except Easter Island, because I knew the flag of Chile is red, white and blue, the best month to ski in Chile is July and that Torres del Paine is a national park in Patagonia.
so...........
Where is the most awesome place to dive in Chile? Is there a no brainer destination? I will probably try and travel in Jan or Feb., I can go anywhere, and I want to dive, dive dive.​

 

[jolufe]

If you are going to stay in santiago, you can go for the day to Quintay or Zapallar, both places with dive center where tou can rent all equipment by 60 dolars a dive or 100 dolars two dives. You also habe nitrox dives. And in some cases you can rent drysuits

Quintay - 1 hour a 30 min in car you got:
Austaldivers.cl
Buceamar.cl

Zapallar - 2 hours by car you got:
Tiempodefondo.cl

If you have more time, los Molles and Pichidangui are a little far 2 hours and 30 min by car, but dive spots are better.

Take a look in south america forum. There is a good post about more dive centers.

Finally, for my experiencie. Best place to dive is Juan Fernandez, is and island offshore Valparaiso in a 2 hours trip by airplane (aerocardal.cl) could get you there. And in the rest of the country if you could to the north, there are the best places.

Punta de Choros ( isla damas) Memoruz.cl
Tongoy - pleamarsub.cl
Antofagasta ( don't know dive center)
Iquique

Anyway, if you like more details i can help you to handle with the dive center before you get to Chile.

Cheers,

Jose Luis Fernandez
@jolufe
Santiago, Chile

 

[Rambo2]

Finally, for my experiencie. Best place to dive is Juan Fernandez, is and island offshore Valparaiso in a 2 hours trip by airplane (aerocardal.cl) could get you there. And in the rest of the country if you could to the north, there are the best places.

Anyway, if you like more details i can help you to handle with the dive center before you get to Chile.

Cheers,

Jose Luis Fernandez
@jolufe
Santiago, Chile

I've decided the Juan Fernandez Islands look amazing and this is my once in a lifetime chance. I have contacted aerocardal airlines and not heard back and the one operator I've been able to locate, ENDEMICA EXPEDICIONES seems to have been put out of business by the 2010 tsunami. The most recent SB threads on the Islands are all years out of date. Any help anyone can offer on visiting the Juan Fernandez Islands would be appreciated.

 

[jolufe]

There are 2 Airlines that fly all year to Juan Fernandez. I wrote last week to aerolassa, but don't get any answer yet about price and weight you could carry on.

http://www.aerolassa.cl/

http://www.aerolineasata.cl/

About dive op, i gonna search today with my team. We have the same idea to go diving next year, so the input will be useful for both.

Cheers,
JL

 

[randini]

Try ATA: Robinson Crusoe Flights (Robinson Crusoe and Juan Fernandez are the same place)

Years out of date? THIS one's a couple of months old, but the info in it's still valid AFAIK.

 

[jolufe]

You have 2 airlines that flight through Juan Fernandez Archipelago:

Aerolíneas ATA
www.aerolassa.cl

This is a 2:20 hours flight, and then you have a marine transportation that takes you to Cumberland Bay (1:30 hours more), from Robinson Crusoe Island, that is part of this island chain called Juan Fernandez.

Dive OP, i recomend "Refugio Nautico" Refugio Náutico - Isla Robinson Crusoe - Chile this is a lodge with lot of services like scuba diving.

Any other help you need.

Cheers!

 

[jolufe]

I just wrote twice. And SB has to allow my answers?

---------- Post added November 22nd, 2013 at 01:43 AM ----------

Rambo. Please write me down to jolufe@gmail.com i can explain eith more details the way to get in there.

 

[icechip]

How about something south around Punta Arenas and the Straits of Magellan? Any body know what the diving might be like there?

 

[scubadiveilat]

Hey icechip Contact me when your in Chile, for guidance and travel. Hope to see you there.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk