El Farallon

El Farallon is the Jardines dive that shows up in every trip report, usually with the same arc: coral towers below, silky sharks above. The towers themselves are worth the tank — flat-topped bastions rising ten meters and more, trailing gorgonians, with canyons between them where Caribbean reef sharks make deliberate, proprietary passes. The finale happens at the safety stop, when the silkies that shadow the park's boats materialize around divers in twos and tens, all nervous elegance. Goliath groupers appear often enough to keep everyone checking the shadows under the overhangs.

Момент, ради которого вы приехали: Coral towers and canyons, reef sharks on patrol, silky sharks crowding the safety stop.

Рельеф дна: Massive coral towers rising from a sand-and-canyon floor near the outer reef edge.

Течение: Usually gentle; enough movement to keep the sharks interested.

Вход: Guided drops from the park's skiffs; sites are minutes from the moored mother boats.

Опасности: Numerous habituated sharks at close range, including mid-water at the stop; follow guide protocol and keep hands in.

Разрешения и правила: Access only through the park's licensed operation.

Охрана природы: Inside the marine park's no-take core; diver numbers are capped by the concession system.

Найтрокс: Здесь это оправдано — профили попадают в диапазон, где обогащённая воздушная смесь (найтрокс) реально увеличивает бездекомпрессионное время (при наличии соответствующего сертификата).