Scuba Diving in Ayangue

Diving in Ayangue is where Ecuador learns to dive. This small horseshoe bay on the Ruta del Spondylus, about 2.5 hours from Guayaquil, is the gateway to the El Pelado Marine Reserve and the cheapest, easiest diving in the country: a rocky islet 20 minutes offshore with around a dozen dive points, most of them shallow, sheltered, and perfect for training. Tours run $75–140, the full PADI ladder is on offer from several local shops, and the bay itself is calm enough that courses run year-round.

Don't mistake cheap for boring. El Pelado's reef carries 17 documented species of octocoral, eagle rays, turtles, morays, and whitetip reef sharks, with sea lions and blue-footed boobies working the surface. The signature dive is El Cristo, a Christ statue with open arms standing on the sand at 11 m (36 ft) as an artificial reef, and there's a sunken navy vessel, the Rigel, at 16 m (52 ft) for wreck fans. An hour offshore lies the wildcard: Bajo Cope, a bank stretching roughly 10 km (6 mi), nicknamed the giant manta capital, where oceanic mantas with 5–7 m (16–23 ft) wingspans show up from July to September.

Set expectations on visibility. This is green, plankton-rich Pacific water that ranges from a murky 3 m (10 ft) on bad days to 24 m (79 ft) on the best ones, with water temps of 22–27 °C (72–81 °F) and a 5 mm suit as the standard kit. Come December to April for the warmest, clearest, calmest version of the bay, or July to September if you want to roll the dice on mantas. Either way, Ayangue is the lowest-cost, lowest-stress way to get underwater in Ecuador.

Best dive sites in Ayangue

The best dive sites in Ayangue cluster around Islote El Pelado, with one big offshore exception. Local operators mix and match the islet's dozen points, including La Pared and Cabeza del Viejo, based on conditions.

Islote El Pelado

The heart of the reserve: a bare rocky islet whose underwater slopes and pinnacles run from the shallows down to about 25 m (82 ft). Octocorals carpet the rock, damselfish and groupers hold the reef, eagle rays and turtles cruise through, and sea lions haul out topside. Mild conditions make it the default training ground for every dive shop in the bay.

Depth: 5–25 m (16–82 ft) | Level: All Levels

El Cristo

Ayangue's photo dive: a statue of Christ with open arms placed on the sand at 11 m (36 ft) facing the islet, sunk as an artificial reef in the 2010s. It's an easy, shallow dive that new divers love, and the statue has become the emblem of the bay's dive scene. Schooling fish gather around the figure, and the sandy surrounds turn up rays.

Depth: 11 m (36 ft) | Level: All Levels

Bajo Cope

The reason experienced divers detour to Ayangue: a shallow offshore bank about an hour by boat, navigated by GPS with no land in sight, where giant oceanic mantas arrive from July to September. The water is often gray and the crossing is weather-dependent, but hovering at 14 m (46 ft) while a 7 m (23 ft) manta circles you in open water is the best-value big-animal dive in Ecuador at around $100 for two tanks.

Depth: 10–16 m (33–52 ft) | Level: All Levels (some experience recommended)

Barco Hundido Rigel

Ayangue's answer to a wreck dive: the LAE Rigel served the Ecuadorian Navy for 38 years before being deliberately sunk in March 2013 at 16 m (52 ft) off El Pelado as an artificial reef. Penetration is possible for trained divers, and the structure attracts schooling fish and morays.

Depth: 16 m (52 ft) | Level: Advanced (for penetration)

Explore Interactive Map

Explore more dive sites with Divearoo's Dive Site Explorer.

Best time to dive Ayangue

The best time to dive Ayangue splits cleanly in two, and which half you pick depends on whether you're here to learn or to chase mantas.

May, June, and the late-October-to-November window are quiet shoulder months: perfectly diveable, cooler and murkier, with fewer crowds and the same low prices.

Diving conditions in Ayangue

Diving conditions in Ayangue are forgiving on everything except visibility. The bay is sheltered, the sites are shallow, and the currents stay mild, which is exactly why every dive shop on this coast runs its courses here.

Marine life in Ayangue

Marine life in Ayangue rewards divers who look closely and divers who get lucky, in equal measure.

Giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris): July to September, especially at Bajo Cope

Part of the same Ecuadorian population that ranks as the largest known on Earth, with individuals spanning 5–7 m (16–23 ft).

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae): June to September, seen and heard from the boat on the Bajo Cope crossing

• Pelagics: giant oceanic manta (seasonal), mobula rays, eagle rays.
• Reef dwellers: green turtle, whitetip reef shark, moray eel, grouper, damselfish, and schooling tropicals across 17 documented octocoral species.
• Topside: sea lions and blue-footed boobies on and around the islet.

The reef sits inside the Reserva Marina El Pelado, a marine reserve of around 13,000 hectares established in 2012 under Ecuador's national protected-areas system, one of the few formally protected reefs on the mainland coast.

Discover more marine life on Divearoo's global heatmap.

Practical information

Dive prices

• Fun dives: $75–140 for local 2-tank trips at El Pelado; Bajo Cope manta trips around $100 including gear
• Courses: full PADI range available, from Discover Scuba through Divemaster, at some of the lowest prices on the continent
• Park/permit fees: none charged separately to divers

Getting there

Ayangue is a 2.5-hour drive from Guayaquil's airport: head west to Santa Elena, then north up the Ruta del Spondylus to the signed turnoff. Buses along the coastal route drop you at the junction, a short mototaxi ride from the beach. Dive boats launch straight off the sand, reach El Pelado in about 20 minutes, and Bajo Cope in about an hour. Montanita's surf-town nightlife is 30 minutes north if you want an evening out between dive days.