El Gran Cañón - Santa Marta & Tayrona
Juani North is a solid pick when you're diving Mafia, especially if you’re looking for a reef that actually fringes the island. We’ve found the slope here to be pretty gentle, hitting a max of 21m, which makes it an easy dive for most skill levels. The corals lean towards those pinks and purples, giving the reef a distinct tone. Keep an eye out for green turtles – we often spot a few cruising by. You'll likely encounter the usual reef fish schools too, with giant trevallies occasionally making an appearance. Visibility averages around 13m, so it’s not always gin-clear, but good enough to appreciate the details.
- Location
- Santa Marta & Tayrona, Colombia, South America
- Coordinates
- 9.816800, -75.735500
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Los Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo
Nearby Dive Sites in Santa Marta & Tayrona
- Arrecife coralino
- Bahia Aguacate
- Canto del Bajito (wreck)
- Canto del Mero (cave)
- Caribaru
- CIUDAD DE ITAGUI - 12m (wreck)
- DARIEN - 9m (wreck)
- DONA LOLITA (POSSIBLY) - 2m (wreck)
- EL AGUILA - 1m (wreck)
- El Jardín
- El Laberinto (reef)
- Formaciones coralinas
- Grieta Isla Narza
- Imelda
- Isla Gloria
Nearest Dive Centres to El Gran Cañón
- Buzos de Baru - ["PADI"]
- Cartagena Divers - ["PADI"]
- Centro de Buceo Rincon del Mar
- Coveñas Diving Co - ["PADI"]
- Diving Planet - ["PADI"]
- Isla Fuerte Ecolodge & Diving Center – Narval - NAUI
Marine Life in Santa Marta & Tayrona
Home to 533 recorded species including 416 reef fish, 38 hard corals, 17 sharks & rays, 13 other, 9 crabs & lobsters, 7 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Mojarra (Eugerres plumieri) - Reef Fish
- Zabaleta Anchovy (Anchovia clupeoides) - Reef Fish
- Ronco (Micropogonias furnieri) - Reef Fish
- Blueback Mullet (Mugil liza) - Reef Fish
- Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) - Reef Fish
- Jack (Caranx hippos) - Reef Fish
- Swordspine Snook (Centropomus ensiferus) - Reef Fish
- Caitipa Mojarra (Diapterus rhombeus) - Reef Fish
- Ground Croaker (Bairdiella ronchus) - Reef Fish
- Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) - Reef Fish
- black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) - Seagrass & Algae
- white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) - Seagrass & Algae
- Silverfish (Trichiurus lepturus) - Reef Fish
- Mulet (Mugil curema) - Reef Fish
- Thin leaf lettuce coral (Agaricia tenuifolia) - Hard Corals
- Atlantic Thread Herring (Opisthonema oglinum) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals