Zona Sur - Los Roques Archipelago
Zona Sur in Los Roques gives you a good mix of everything. Expect to drift along healthy reef walls, often finding schools of jacks and barracuda hanging in the current. It’s a solid dive for advanced open water divers who appreciate healthy corals and larger pelagics moving through. We've often seen Caribbean reef sharks patrolling here too.
- Location
- Los Roques Archipelago, Venezuela, South America
- Coordinates
- 10.896229, -65.354420
Marine Protected Area: Dependencias Federales: Isla La Tortuga, Las Tortuguillas, Cayo Herradura, los Palanquines, y su Espacio Acuático Asociado
Best Time to Dive in Los Roques Archipelago
The warmest water temperatures in Los Roques Archipelago occur in January, averaging 27.5°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.5°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.5°C (air: 26.4°C)
- February: 27.5°C (air: 26.2°C)
- March: 27.5°C (air: 26.2°C)
- April: 27.5°C (air: 26.7°C)
- May: 27.5°C (air: 27.2°C)
- June: 27.5°C (air: 27.5°C)
- July: 27.5°C (air: 27.6°C)
- August: 27.5°C (air: 28.1°C)
- September: 27.5°C (air: 28.7°C)
- October: 27.5°C (air: 28.6°C)
- November: 27.5°C (air: 27.8°C)
- December: 27.5°C (air: 27.2°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Los Roques Archipelago
- Boca de Cote - 10-30m (drift)
- CARMINA - 20m (wreck)
- Cominoto el Hoyo - 10-25m (reef)
- Cominoto el Velero (wreck)
- Cubagua - 5-20m (reef)
- CUMANA - 9m (wreck)
- CUMANA (POSSIBLY) - 8m (wreck)
- Dos Mosquises - 5-18m (reef)
- Farallon
- Gran Roque West
- Ichao el Tunal
- INDEPENDENCE - 40m (wreck)
- La Ensenada - 5-15m (reef)
- La Guasa
- La Pecha
Nearest Dive Centres to Zona Sur
Marine Life in Los Roques Archipelago
Home to 342 recorded species including 288 reef fish, 24 hard corals, 17 sharks & rays, 3 other, 3 seagrass & algae, 3 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) - Hard Corals
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Blueman (Scarus vetula) - Reef Fish
- Stripy (Katsuwonus pelamis) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Cola (Ocyurus chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- Bluestriped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) - Reef Fish
- Allison's Tuna (Thunnus albacares) - Reef Fish
- Fire coral (Millepora complanata) - Jellyfish
Recommended Packing List for Zona Sur
Based on average water temperature of 27.5°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 28°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