Stay : El Salvador, paradise of underwater archaeology
Allow at least one week to dive around several diving spots where you will discover under the waters of the unsuspected remains and well kept by the Salvadoran funds! Explorations are to be made preferably in April or November.
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
5 days
€€€ - Luxury
Detail of the stay : El Salvador, paradise of underwater archaeology - 5 days
Day 1: S.S. San Blas
Steps: San Salvador
San Blas Beach, near La Libertad, 35 km from San Salvador. At the far east of San Blas beach, between 100 and 200 metres from the beach edge, the wreckage is located at a depth of 3 to 5 metres. Built in 1882, the S.S. San Blas was a passenger and cargo ship capable of carrying up to 2,075 tonnes. He travelled between San Francisco and New York through Mexican ports, San Jose in Guatemala, Acajutla and La Libertad in El Salvador and Panama. On December 17, 1901, the ship ran aground in the rocks of the Comasagua River but no casualties were reported.
Day 2: S.S. Douglas
Steps: Sonsonate, San Salvador
In the Acajutla region, Sonsonate department, 70 kilometres from San Salvador. 2.26 kilometres southwest of playa Punta Remedios, Acajutla is a diving site where you can observe sunken boats including the S.S. Douglas. It is an English ship built in 1872, a mixture of steam and sailing ships. In 1875, the S.S. Douglas was sold to a German company and renamed Sakkarah. On February 10, 1890, he left the Salvadoran port of Acajutla for Hamburg. In its holds, 19,000 bags of coffee... 12,000 nautical miles from Acajutla, it touches a rock now called Punta Remedios. The boat then sank 12 metres underwater.
Off Playa Punta Remedios, humpback whales can be seen from October to February.
Day 3: S.S. Cheribon
Steps: Sonsonate
Playa Los Cóbanos, Acajutla, Sonsonate County. Many species can be observed in this area: echinoderms (Echinometra vanbrunti), sea breezes (Phataria), lobsters (Panulirus gracilis), oysters (Cassostrea iridescens), octocorallias (Muricea austera) and tropical fish. The Chilean steamer S.S. Cheribon is also the underwater attraction that will make you want to take your bottles back. Built by William Denny in 1882, it sank in a collision with Punta Remedios Reef in 1901.
Day 4: PSJ-2
Steps: Bahía De Jiquilisco, San Salvador, San Sebastián
Bahía de Jiquilisco, playa de Isla San Sebastián, San Dionisio, Usulután department. Located in the eastern part of the country, 110 kilometres from San Salvador, on the outskirts of Isla Madresal and Puerto El Triunfo, it is a unique and important place for conservation that is recognized by UNESCO as the Xiriualtique Biosphere Reserve (meaning "the Bay of Stars"). The PSJ-2 wreck lies between 18 and 20 metres below the surface.
Day 5: Caldera del Diablo
Steps: San Salvador
Lake Ilopango, in the centre of the country, between the departments of San Salvador, La Paz and Cuscatlán. The name of Lake Ilopango comes from nahuatl xilopango, which means "valley of jilotes (peppers)". The lake is located 13 kilometres east of the city of San Salvador, at a height of 449 metres. The lake is of volcanic origin and its surface area is 72 square kilometres, with a maximum depth of 500 metres. The Caldera del Diablo (which means "Devil's Boiler") is a rock formation that did not fully reach the surface during the eruption. It is very popular with divers who can explore its walls up to 231 meters.
Tour operators allowing to carry out these dives in El Salvador: Waterquest Divers (www.urudiving.com), El Salvador Divers (www.elsalvadordivers.com), Oceánica (www.oceanicasv.com), Scuba Adventures (www.scubadventureselsavador.com), Aquatica (www.buceoaquatica.com).
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