Chelonia Dive Center

Mancora & North Coast, Peru

The team at Chelonia Dive Center are some of the most genuinely enthusiastic divers we’ve met on the North Coast. They’ve got PADI courses covered from Open Water right through to Divemaster, and we always feel like we’re in good hands with their instructors. What really sets Chelonia apart, though, is their absolute passion for finding the big stuff, particularly the sea turtles that give them their name. We love that Chelonia consistently delivers on sightings of green sea turtles – not just a fleeting glimpse, but often spending an entire dive just observing them graze. Our favourite dives with them usually involve a trip out to Ñuro, where the combination of relatively shallow depths and abundant food brings in the gentle giants. You’ll often see schools of jacks swimming alongside, and the occasional manta ray gliding through if you’re lucky. We’d suggest going early in the morning for the calmest surface conditions and generally better visibility before any afternoon chop picks up. It’s a relaxed, friendly vibe, perfect for those who appreciate patient wildlife encounters over rushing through sites.