Native Diving Ecuador - Isla de la Plata
The team at Native Diving Ecuador are the ones you want if you’re heading out to Isla de la Plata. We dove with them last season and found their local knowledge impressive, especially when it came to navigating the currents that can kick up around the island. They’re PADI-focused, offering everything from Open Water up to Divemaster, but it’s the fun dives and particularly their fluorescent night dives that we really think stand out. You’re choosing Native Diving for a proper, immersive experience of the island’s unique environment. They’re not just taking you to the nearest buoy; we found they really aim to get you face-to-face with the local residents. We love that they push the fluorescent night dive; it’s a completely different way to experience the reefs, with corals glowing under UV light, and the nocturnal critters, like decorator crabs and sleeping parrotfish, out in force. Visibility can vary with the seasons – generally clearer during the drier months from June to December – but even on days with a bit of a chop, Native Diving always seemed to find us a sheltered spot with plenty to see, often schools of jacks circling and plenty of green sea turtles grazing on the bommies. They’re a solid pick for divers who appreciate an operator that knows their backyard intimately.
- Location
- Isla de la Plata, Ecuador, South America
- Coordinates
- -1.558420, -80.812760
- Phone
- +593 96 716 2893
- Website
- https://nativedivingcenterecuador.com/
- Certification Agencies
- PADI
- Courses
- PADI Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water, Emergency First Response EFR, Rescue diver, Dive Master, Fun Dive/Plongée Discovery/Baptêmes, Fluorescent Night Dive
- Equipment Rental
- no
- Address
- Julio Izurieta
- Languages
- English, French
Dive Sites Near Native Diving Ecuador
Native Diving Ecuador provides access to 15 dive sites in Isla de la Plata.
- AZOREANA - 4m (wreck)
- BLACK SAND I - 11m (wreck)
- BON BINI - 10m (wreck)
- BP GUAZAR - 2m (wreck)
- DARWIN - 7m (wreck)
- Dive and Surf
- DON VICTOR - 3m (wreck)
- El Pelado
- El Pelado / Islote El Pelado
- Isla Salango
- Isla Salango
- Islas Los Ahorcados
- Islas Los Ahorcados
- JAMBELI - 9m (wreck)
- JUAN BAUTISTA - 4m (wreck)
Other Dive Centres in Isla de la Plata
Best Time to Dive in Isla de la Plata
The warmest water temperatures in Isla de la Plata occur in February, averaging 27.3°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 24.8°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 26.4°C
- February: 27.3°C
- March: 27.2°C
- April: 26.4°C
- May: 26.7°C
- June: 26.4°C
- July: 25.3°C
- August: 24.8°C
- September: 24.8°C
- October: 25.3°C
- November: 25.1°C
- December: 25.3°C
Marine Life in Isla de la Plata
Home to 148 recorded species including 124 reef fish, 8 whales & dolphins, 5 other, 5 sharks & rays, 2 hard corals, 1 sea cucumbers.
Notable Marine Life
- Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Mexican hogfish (Bodianus diplotaenia) - Reef Fish
- Brown Sea Cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus) - Sea Cucumbers
- Barberfish (Johnrandallia nigrirostris) - Reef Fish
- Chameleon wrasse (Halichoeres dispilus) - Reef Fish
- Sea Bass (Epinephelus labriformis) - Reef Fish
- Cortez Rainbow Wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Isla de la Plata
Based on average water temperature of 25.9°C, currents 4 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 26°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories