Paraíso sits on the outskirts of the national park boundary at Caño Island and is dived in 18 to 22 m. It carries stronger current than the sites closer to the island, and that flow is the point: tropical reef fish, blue-striped snapper, amberjack, horse-eye jacks and barracuda school here, with wahoo patrolling the edges of the fish.
Also known as Paraiso.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Isla del Caño and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The entry is planned around the current, which runs stronger here than at the sites nearer the island, and the group drops onto the 18 to 22 m band where the fish hold. The dive is about staying in one productive stretch of water rather than covering ground: get down promptly, stay low and out of the worst of the flow, and let the schools work past you.
The reward is the fish load: tropical reef fish over the bottom, blue-striped snapper in tight schools, meaty amberjack, horse-eye jacks and barracuda, with wahoo patrolling the outside of the schools. Depths stay in the low twenties throughout, so gas rather than decompression usually calls the dive, and the ascent is made into open water with the current still running.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Isla del Caño: Dec–Apr is the dry season with the clearest water; Sep–Nov rain cuts visibility but overlaps the southern humpback migration.
Know before you go
- The current is the hazard: stay with the guide, plan the exit as a drifting ascent and deploy an SMB before surfacing away from the boat.
Questions divers ask
Is Paraíso a beginner dive?+
No. Depths of 18 to 22 m are moderate, but the site is dived in stronger current than the other Caño Island sites, so previous experience diving in current is expected.
Sources
- Dive Sites at Caño Island — Dive The World
- Drake Bay — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in Isla del Caño
Pinnacle
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Pinnacle
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Coral garden
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A cave with about ten resident whitetip reef sharks
Similar dives elsewhere
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