South America · Peru
Máncora & Los Órganos
Green turtles and an offshore oil-platform reef off Peru's north coast
Photo: Danielaamunoz Camera location4° 13′ 05.1″ S, 81° 10′ 54.31″ W View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap -4.218 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Two beach towns on Peru's far north coast, 15 minutes apart, with a PADI centre in each. Boats leave the Los Órganos pier for rocky reefs at 3 to 20 m: Punta Veleros, a coral garden to 14 m five minutes out, and the MX-1 oil platform, an iron structure standing in 60 m of water two nautical miles offshore. The pier itself is a calm 10 m dive for beginners, green turtles feed off El Ñuro, and from July to October whale song carries through the water.
About diving in Máncora & Los Órganos
The diving is run from two towns 15 minutes apart: Spondylus Dive Center is in Máncora and Chelonia Dive Center has its only base in Los Órganos. Boat trips start at the Los Órganos pier, and the rides are short. Punta Veleros is five minutes away and the MX-1 oil platform, two nautical miles offshore, about fifteen. The pier is also a dive in its own right, a calm site with a maximum of 10 m, suited to beginners.
The reefs off Los Órganos lie between 3 and 20 m. Punta Veleros is a coral garden that reaches 14 m and gives shelter to a wide mix of species. MX-1 is something else: an iron platform standing in 60 m of water that has become an artificial reef. Life runs from small nudibranchs to green turtles, which also live and feed in numbers off the cove of El Ñuro. Water ranges from about 18 °C in September to 23 °C in February, and a normal day gives around 4 m of visibility, 7 m on a good one.
This coast suits newer divers and anyone who wants short boat rides, shallow reefs and a good chance of turtles, combined with a beach holiday. The Mar Tropical de Grau National Reserve extends off this coast, with Cabo Blanco–El Ñuro among its protected sectors, and between July and October whale song is often audible during dives. Divers who measure a destination by long sightlines will find 4 to 7 m limiting.
Best time to dive Máncora & Los Órganos
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
July to October is whale season, when whale song is often heard on dives; it is also when the water is coldest, about 18 °C in September.
Dive types & marine life
Green turtles live and feed off El Ñuro and turn up on the Los Órganos reefs alongside nudibranchs. Whale season runs from July to October, when whale song is commonly heard on dives.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Whales
Best dive sites in Máncora & Los Órganos
- 1
Plataforma MX-1
Iron oil platform in 60 m of water, 2 nautical miles offshore, now an artificial reef.
- 2
Punta Veleros
Coral garden five minutes from the pier, to a maximum of 14 m, sheltering a wide mix of species.
- 3
Muelle de Los Órganos
The Los Órganos pier, a calm dive to a maximum of 10 m, suited to beginners.
- 4
Playa Las Pocitas
One of the stretches divers favour, off Las Pocitas beach.
Site guides
Sand slope
Sea turtles that feed around the pilings of a working fishing pier
Artificial reef
An iron oil platform in 60 m of water that has turned into a reef
Green and hawksbill turtles over a coral garden five minutes from the pier
How to get to Máncora & Los Órganos
Talara has regular flights from Lima. From Talara, EPPO buses run about 20 times a day to Máncora, also linking Piura, Sullana, El Alto and Los Órganos. Spondylus Dive Center is in Máncora and Chelonia Dive Center in Los Órganos, where the boats leave from the pier.
Questions divers ask
What certification do the Máncora dives need?+
The pier is a calm 10 m site suited to beginners, and the reefs run 3–20 m. The MX-1 platform stands in 60 m of water.
When are whales heard at Máncora?+
Whale season runs from July to October, when whale song is often heard on dives. It is also when the water is coldest, about 18 °C in September.
How do divers get to Máncora from Lima?+
Talara has regular flights from Lima, and EPPO buses run about 20 times a day from Talara to Máncora. Boats leave the pier at Los Órganos, 15 minutes from Máncora.
How far are the Máncora dive sites from the pier?+
Punta Veleros is five minutes from the Los Órganos pier, and the MX-1 oil platform, two nautical miles offshore, takes about fifteen.
Sources
- Spondylus Dive Center Mancora — Spondylus Dive Center
- Dive Sites – Chelonia Dive Center — Chelonia Dive Center
- Muelle de Los Órganos dive site — PADI
- Punta Veleros dive site — PADI
- Plataforma MX-1 dive site — PADI
- Buceo en Máncora — Vivamancora
- Máncora – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- El Ñuro – Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Reserva Nacional Mar Tropical de Grau — Wikipedia
- Máncora Water Temperature — seatemperature.org
- Los Órganos Water Temperature — seatemperature.org
Photo credits
- A wooden pier on pilings over blue water below a dry sandstone headland with a house perched on a rock by Danielaamunoz Camera location4° 13′ 05.1″ S, 81° 10′ 54.31″ W View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap -4.218, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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