Scuba Diving Chile
including Easter Island
Diving Chile articles, reviews, and reports from Undercurrent
Diving Chile Overview
Chile offers some coastal diving in the plankton-rich waters of the Pacific Ocean's Humboldt Current, particularly in the temperate zone from La Serena to Arica. But the main attraction for divers is Easter Island, which lies 2,300 miles offshore. It's a 20-hour journey by air from L.A., and is often visited as a side trip from Tahiti. The island rests on a broad submarine volcanic ridge that supports 144 species of algae and 111 species of tropical and pelagic fish. Six species of corals grow in shallow water around the island, though there are no coral reefs. About one-fifth of all marine flora and fauna is endemic. Visibility in these cobalt seas can exceed 120 feet. Undercurrent readers seem to agree that Easter Island offers a unique, if limited, dive experience. Except for a few spectacular sites in the Motu Nui Islets off the island's southwest shore, fish life is sparse and corals are drab. Local operators keep the diving safe for beginners, and combine two-tank morning dives with afternoon archeological excursions to see the island's famed stone statues, known as moai, plus other historic sights.
Chile Seasonal Dive Planner
Easter Island’s subtropical water temperatures average 70°F, with the warmest waters (72°F) from September into February. Air temperatures range from highs of 68°F in summer months to 79°F in winter. Conditions make for easy diving in the winter, but rough waters can limit choices of dive sites in summer.
Diving Chile Feature Articles and Reader Reports
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Chile Dive Reviews
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Chile Dive Reviews
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Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Chile
including Easter Island
The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the
world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com;
just follow the links. -- BD
Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest
by David Hall
It's hard enough to take a first-rate photo of reef life in the best of conditions. Try doing it in murky, bone-numbingly cold water while wearing a dry suit with 40-plus pounds of weights around your waist, and thick, insulating gloves that make it hard to use the camera controls. That's what David Hall had to endure while photographing in Canadian waters, but those physical disadvantages make Beneath Cold Seas all the more amazing.
Hall's book successfully disputes the belief that cold-water reefs are drab and dismal. He has regularly photographed the world's most beautiful dive spots for major magazines from National Geographic to Time. While Hall's shots are taken entirely at Browning Passage in British Columbia, the reef life he shoots resides along the Pacific Coast, from Northern California up to Alaska, and they are as diverse and spectacular as any creature in Raja Ampat or Fiji.
Click here to buy it at Amazon via our website -- our profits go to save the reefs.
Reef Fish Identification: Baja to Panama
by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach
The latest edition in the popular Paul Humann series of marine life books. The most comprehensive field guide ever compiled for identifying reef fishes from the Gulf of California to the Pacific coast of Panama, including offshore islands. More than 500 photographs of 400 species taken in their natural habitat. The book is dedicated to Baja Legend Alex Kerstitch and includes several of his drawings and photographs. The concise text accompanying each species portrait includes the fish’s common, scientific and family names, size range, description, visually distinctive features, preferred habitat, typical behavior, depth range, and geographical distribution.
Illustrated/Hardcover. 364 pages, Amazon.com price: $27.17.
The Devil's Teeth: a true story of Obsession and Survival among America's Great White Sharks:
by Susan Casey
Perhaps the greatest gathering of great white sharks in the world is at the Farallon islands, 26 miles from San Francisco. Researchers have tracked and studied them for years and at least one diver still collects sea urchins in the midst of their gatherings. Journalist Susan Casey lived on these barren islands to write a fascinating, awe-struck account of the sharks, their amazing behavior, their killing strategies, their long distance travels, and life with the researchers. Click on this Undercurrent link to purchase the 304-page, hardbound, The Devil's Teeth at Amazon.com's best price, and all our proceeds will go to coral reef conservation.
An
American Underwater Odyssey: 50 Dives in 50 States
: by
Charles Ballinger.
Underwater Odyssey is the story of a scuba diving
safari to every state in America. Tired of touring coral reefs, the author embarks
on a year-long quest to discover the incredible assortment of adventure diving
found in our nation's backyard. His dogged determination to follow his dreams
and explore everything from flooded missile sites to abandoned mines should be
an inspiration for any diver. Underwater Odyssey transcends the limits
of a dive guide to reveal the broader adventure that diving provides.
Order
through us, get Amazon.coms best price and some of the profit will be donated
to preserve coral reefs.
There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent
The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.
Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.
Click here to order.
You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's
Book Picks section.
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Orca