South America · Peru
Palomino Islands
Thousands of sea lions crowd bare granite an hour from Lima
Photo: Jussi Savolainen · CC BY 2.0
The Palominos are a cluster of bare granite islands off Callao, an hour from Lima, sitting in the cold Humboldt Current. Several thousand South American sea lions haul out on the rocks, and the main activity is entering the water among them as they twist and dive around visitors. Below the surface the granite drops steeply into dark, plankton-rich water holding octopus, dense invertebrate growth and shoals of small fish, with Humboldt penguins on the nearby islands.
About diving in Palomino Islands
Trips run as half-days out of Callao, and the dive boat is often the same one carrying snorkellers and sightseers, so expect a mixed load and a schedule built around the group. The crossing goes through working harbour water — Callao is Peru's main commercial port — and past the bulk of San Lorenzo before the outer rocks come into view. There is no beach and nowhere to stand, so the whole dive happens off the boat, and being settled in the first few metres counts for more than any depth experience.
What you dive are the flanks of the islands: steep rock faces and jumbled boulder slopes crusted with mussels, barnacles and encrusting invertebrates, with fish holding tight to the stone rather than hanging in open water. The Humboldt Current sets the terms — cold, nutrient-heavy upwelling that keeps the water dark and the biomass high, so the murk and the life come from the same source. Current picks up around the exposed corners of the islands.
The sea lions set the pace. Groups come off the rocks soon after the boat settles, and the encounter plays out in the top few metres, where there is still light and the animals are willing to stay with you. Below that it becomes a slow, close-range dive worked on a torch, along cracks and ledges rather than across ground, and cold rather than depth is usually what ends it. It suits divers based in Lima who want a real dive morning inside the city's reach, and anyone happy to trade visibility for animals.
Best time to dive Palomino Islands
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | 20°C68°F | 21°C70°F | 20°C68°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F | 18°C64°F | 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 18°C64°F |
| Daytime high | 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 24°C75°F | 22°C72°F | 21°C70°F | 20°C68°F | 19°C66°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F | 19°C66°F | 20°C68°F | 22°C72°F |
| Rain | 5 mm0.2 in | 11 mm0.4 in | 13 mm0.5 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 4 mm0.2 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 20°C68°F | 21°C70°F | 20°C68°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F | 18°C64°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 23°C73°F | 24°C75°F | 24°C75°F | 22°C72°F | 21°C70°F | 20°C68°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 5 mm0.2 in | 11 mm0.4 in | 13 mm0.5 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 17°C63°F | 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 18°C64°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 19°C66°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F | 19°C66°F | 20°C68°F | 22°C72°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 4 mm0.2 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Dec–Apr is the austral summer with the warmest water and calmest seas; winter brings 14°C water, grey skies and more cancelled trips.
Best months: January, February, March, December
Palomino Islands water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 16 °C (61 °F) in October to 21 °C (70 °F) in February. Rain is scarce: about 40 mm (1.6 in) falls in a typical year. Daytime highs reach 24 °C (75 °F) in March and drop to 18 °C (64 °F) in September. The coldest water here is about 14 °C (57 °F), so pack a 7 mm suit with a hood, or a semi-dry.
Dive types & marine life
South American sea lions hold the rocks all year, and December to April is when conditions most reliably allow time in the water with them; May to September is the least settled. Humboldt penguins, listed as vulnerable, are seen on and around the guano islands rather than underwater. Octopus, small crustaceans and shoaling fish stay tight to the rock year-round, found with a torch.
- Reef
- Wall
- Seals & sea lions
- Penguins
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Palomino Islands
A colony of more than 5 thousand sea lions
Isla San Lorenzo
Peru's largest island, with steep rock walls and wreck debris.
Isla El Frontón
Former prison island whose cliffs drop into dark, fish-rich water.
Islas Cabinzas
Guano islands with dense invertebrate growth and seabird activity.
How to get to Palomino Islands
Boats leave from Callao, roughly an hour from central Lima depending on traffic, and operators commonly include hotel pickup in Miraflores or Barranco. It is day-boat only, with no shore diving and no reason to base yourself near the port, so most divers stay in Lima and go out for the morning.
Photos from Palomino Islands
Jussi Savolainen · CC BY 2.0
Jussi Savolainen · CC BY 2.0
Jussi Savolainen · CC BY 2.0
sergejf · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Buceo con Lobos Marinos en Islas Palomino · Jose Alfredo Cabero Laurie on YouTube
Diving with sea lions in Peru August 2013 · Mundo Azul International on YouTube
Photo credits
- Steep bare granite cliffs of a Palomino island rise from the sea, with seabirds nesting on the ledges by Jussi Savolainen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cormorants and seabirds crowd a guano-streaked cliff face on one of the Palomino islands near Callao by Jussi Savolainen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pelicans and cormorants perched on a rocky outcrop above the sea near the Palomino islands by Jussi Savolainen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A tall rock pinnacle rises from the sea near the Palomino islands with a seabird circling overhead by Jussi Savolainen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A small open boat loaded with passengers in life jackets crosses choppy seas toward the Palomino islands by sergejf, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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