Dive in Bahia Solano, Nuqui and Gorgona Island

Travel to Bahia Solano, Nuqui and Gorgona Island

The Pacific coast of Colombia extends from Panama located in the north, to the Cauca Valley located in the south. Chocó province is the least visited by both tourists and Colombian people. Howeber if you visit the area from June to September you will enjoy their whale watching season on boat trips and even sometimes from the beaches. This area is sparsely populated, but you'll find many fishing villages. 

In Chocó the most beautiful and most interesting to visit is the Gorgona Island, Nuqui and Solano Bay. Gorgona Island is an old prison, which is the perfect place for whale watching, and occasionally sighting killer whales too. While diving you'll also see sharks, turtles and groupers that go very often to the sunken ship of Sebastian Belalcazar.  

Nuqui is a small town famous for surfing, but it also serves as a starting point to go to other places along the Pacific coast. Besides diving and surfing, you can also enjoy kayaking. 

And Bahia Solano is the place where the jungle meets the sea, where the beaches are deserted and quiet, and where the sea brings spectacular scenery and marine wildlife. The arrival of the humpback whale, the turtle release, its pristine beaches, and its coral reefs are some of the best examples of what Colombia´s Pacific coastline can offer. 

Beneath the surface the waters take on all imaginable colors with shoals of fish, dolphins, turtles and (from July to October) humpback whales, and ocasionally killer whales.

There are few places to dive in this area, but the most important one would be the wreck of Sebastian Belcazar, located only 30 minutes from Bahia Solano. This boat was sunk on purpose to create an artificial reef, where you'll find abundant marine life in particular a grouper of about 2m long which is a resident of the wreck. You can also see giant trevalley and even tuna, and occassionally displayed sharks. In Gorgona Island you will dive with sharks, sea lions, dolpins, whale sharks, and ocasionally whales and hammerheads. Another typical diving site is the Solano Bay, where you can see rocky reefs, which attract a lot of marine life, among them we can name the bird fat, trumpets and lobsters. 

You'll find dive centers in Bahia Solano and Nuqui.

This part of Colombia is very low in infrastructure, so if you wish to travel this area, you will need to do in small boats hired at your hotel or guesthouse. Best way to reach it is via an international flight to the main cities (Bogota, Cartagena, etc), and then take a conection flight to Bahia Solano.

There are a variety of accommodations, that range from excellent places to cheaper hostels room. In high season it is advisable to book the rooms before the go.

Cocho is a crucial part in military conflicts between the guerrillas and cocaine trade, so it is to find an area with many military precencia. Please becareful and follow local advice. Plus it is recommended to take anti malaria drugs and Yellow Fever vaccine. Very important fact, the only bank where you can withdraw cash, is located in Bahia Solano. In case of accident the nearest Hiperbaric Chamber, it is located at the Navy Hospital in Bahía Malaga Navy Base.