Scuba diving in Los Roques National Park

Diving in Los Roques is often called one of the most fascinating experiences for divers of all experience levels. Los Roques is a paradise, rated one of the best diving spots worldwide, and is distinguished by its clear and transparent water and the rich variety of the marine species in the archipelago that will impress any scuba diver. The most famous dive sites are La Pierda de la Guasa/"The Stone of Guaza," a huge mountain in the bottom of the ocean with excellent marine life and the "Tounge of the Ocean," a wall ranging from 3m (10ft) to 61m (200ft) in height. Boca del Cote offers coral reefs with the typical reef fish, lobsters and more. "Boca del Medio" features the brightest corals, schools of barracudas, rays and nurse sharks. "Dos Mosquises" has splendid reefs and turtles, and in the Nordisqui key, divers can find spectacular coral stone formations and shipwrecks. Other dive sites that are worth visiting include Boca de Cote, La Buceadora, Dos Mosquises, Francisqui, and Rabusqui.

Diving is available in Los Roques year-round, but the best diving conditions are in summer. The rainy season lasts from September and January. The water temperature varies from 25-30C/77-86F with the coldest temperatures in January and February and the warmest from June to October. The average visibility ranges from 30-40m/98-131ft. What to see While diving through the crystal blue water, divers will also have the chance to see a complex underwater ecosystem of sea grasses that is home to hundreds of species of fish, including parrot fish, barracudas, nurse sharks, various species of rays and mantas, mollusks, turtles, snails and the queen conch. Some species of fish, such as the surgeon fish, angel fish and the spotfin butterfly fish, have uniquely adapted to the coral reef.