Mike´s Place / Big Sponge
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Description
| This dive site is located on the expansive private grounds of San Juan along with three other dive sites: Playa Mansalina, Boka Grandi, and Playa Largu. To get here by car, head west past Cas Abou and look for the red and white painted rock, then follow the small sign for San Juan on your left. (If you get to Soto, you’ve gone too far!) Follow this road to the ruins of an old land house, where you’ll pay a small fee which allows you access to all the beaches and dive sites beyond. There are no facilities here, so bring plenty of water and snacks. The quiet beaches are a great place to relax and usually deserted during the week, and the dirt roads and seaside trails running along the cliffs are well worth exploring by jeep, bike, or on foot. This site was named both for a huge barrel sponge (since then passed away, a victim to careless anchoring) and after a former dive shop owner who frequented the site. It can be reached from shore from Playa Largu (the southernmost beach), but it’s a rocky entry and a lengthy (15 – 20 minute) swim to the right (northwest). For those without DPV’s or Olympic training, we recommend making this a boat dive, particularly if the wind is blowing. The mooring buoy is close to the drop off in 20 feet of water. The drop-off starts in 25 feet and falls gradually to a depth of over 130 feet. The reef is populated by numerous smaller Barrel Sponges, Tube Sponges, Elephant Ear Sponges, and a nice mix of Stony Corals and Gorgonians, with some Black Coral found at deeper depths. Look for Green Morays, Spotted Drums, Cowfish, Porcupinefish, Seahorses, and Sea Turtles. |
| Dive type: |
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| Suitability: | all levels, boat dive is recommended |
| Photography: | close-up and wide angle |
| Underwater view: | between 25 to 40 m |
| Current | little to no currents |
| Drive & dive map: | 22 |
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