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Diving with Devil Mantas in Machalilla National Park - Ecuador

One of the attractions when diving is the encounter with large fish, whale sharks, orcas, devil manta rays (mobula birrostris). In the Machalilla National Park in Ecuador you can have that privilege at a certain time of year.


Jose Solís is a PADI diving instructor who has been diving in the area for 14 years and has had countless encounters with these large fish. José works with one of the diving companies specialized in this activity Exploramardiving. He tells us that to get to the national park you must travel either from Quito or Guayaquil. If done from Quito, the flight is approximately 45 minutes to the town of Manta and from there an hour and a half by car to Puerto López. If you arrive through Guayaquil it is a 3 hour trip by land. Puerto López is a fishing town that is on the shore of the Pacific Sea, it belongs to the Machalilla National Park. This fishing village is very picturesque and offers a variety of hostels and restaurants for visitors. Additionally, you can alternate diving with visiting places to watch birds and monkeys. Also to learn a little about the ancient culture that settled in the area.



For the trip to Isla de la Plata where the dives are made, it takes one hour in covered boats. During the trip you can spot humpback whales that are visiting this area of ​​the Ecuadorian Pacific at this time. The most recommended season is from July to October, which is when, even though the water is still cold for us (18 to 21°C), these sightings are made. It is recommended to wear a 5 to 7mm wetsuit with a hood, although it can be rented in the area.

A typical day of diving begins at 9:30 AM leaving Puerto López to spend the whole day, two dives each of approximately 45 minutes are made, between the dives, lunch is taken on the boat and the return in the afternoon is typical. 4:00 PM. For the objective to be achieved, two to three days of diving must be planned. This way we will have a 90% chance of being able to dive with them.


So you can think about planning your next underwater adventure in this not so well-known destination, but as we see, very attractive. For this year we are planning an excursion to Machalilla Park from September 2 to 10. You can use the link to register. If you have concerns about this excursion contact now. We are waiting for you!!!





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