Providencia & San Andrés · Colombia · Reef · Wall · Drift
Nick's Place
Caribbean reef sharks along a steep west-facing cliff
Area photo: Felviper · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nick's Place is a boat dive on an expansive coral platform off Providencia that ends in a steep, west-facing cliff. Hard and soft corals and sponges cover the platform, and the varied structure holds snapper, grouper and jacks, with Caribbean reef sharks a likely sighting. PADI lists the site to 60 m and calls its structure suitable for intermediate and advanced divers.
Where it is and how deep
13.3885° N, 81.4187° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
You start from the boat over the platform, which is expansive enough that a whole dive can be spent on it: hard and soft corals and sponges, with enough variation in the ground that the flat word platform undersells it. PADI classes the site as drift as well as reef and wall, so you will usually cover ground in one direction rather than looping back to a fixed point.
The platform ends at a steep, west-facing cliff, and PADI lists the site to 60 m, past recreational limits, so pick a turn depth and work the edge rather than following the wall down. Much of the life sits on the cliff itself: snapper, grouper, wreckfish, jacks, mackerel and king mackerel, gray and French angelfish over the coral, and crabs, shrimp, lobsters and nudibranchs among it for anyone diving slowly. PADI calls Caribbean reef sharks quite likely here, and lists whales, dolphins and turtles for the site as well.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Sea turtles
- Dolphins
- Whales
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Providencia & San Andrés: Dec–Apr is driest with the calmest water; Sep–Nov brings the heaviest rain and the region's hurricane risk.
Know before you go
- PADI lists the site to 60 m and a wall gives few depth cues, so agree a maximum before entry and watch your computer through the descent.
- No current rating is published for the site and PADI classes it as a drift dive, so ask the operator about the day's conditions before you go in.
Dive videos
Kolumbien (Colombia) - Providencia / Tauchplatz Nick's Place · Nautilus Tauchreisen on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification do I need for Nick's Place?+
PADI calls the varied underwater structure suitable for intermediate and advanced divers. The platform is divable at recreational depths, but the site is listed to 60 m, so it suits divers with wall and drift experience rather than newly certified ones.
What can you see at Nick's Place?+
Caribbean reef sharks are quite likely, along with snapper, grouper, wreckfish, jacks, mackerel and gray and French angelfish. Crabs, shrimp, lobsters and nudibranchs live in the coral, and whales, dolphins and turtles are also listed for the site.
Sources
- Nick's Place dive site — PADI
In The Logbook
- Where to see reef sharks on your first divesBig animals · 14 min read
More dive sites in Providencia & San Andrés
Christ Under the Waters, a damaged statue standing at 24 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A shallow reef-top drift where dolphins and turtles turn up
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Splendid toadfish, nurse sharks and turtles along the coral
Tarpon and jack schools over a drop-off at 25 m