Guardalavaca Coral Garden

At 155 metres maximum depth, this is a stunning dive site for a second dive, or perfect for those learning or intent on getting great photos. 10 minutes away from the beach by fast boat, you drop into a huge coral garden, absolutely teeming with life.

Coral stacks and sponges that reach 5 to 6 metres in height provide a great backdrop, and the whole reef is carpeted in fans, whips and sponges of all types, size and colour.

Larger fish are less in numbers here than the other dive sites, but this is a real photographer's paradise – every 5 metres or so there will be something that just has to be put onto digital memory! Whether it is a metre tall sponge in the shape of a hand, cleaner or coral banded shrimps, horned moray eels, tiny wrasse or a flamingo tongue, the choice is unlimited, so take a big memory card and a new set of batteries! Juvenile fish are everywhere and in huge numbers, and the colours are just spectacular.

A gentle current makes this a relaxing drift and the reef goes on for seemingly miles – 60 minutes into the dive and you still haven't changed direction!

Coming to the end of the dive, you enter into a small lagoon in the middle of the reef, surrounded by coral pillars and table corals – the safety stop on this one is 'swum' as the reef becomes shallower, so be ready to peek under the table tops to find crabs, sizeable puffer, box and cow fish just before you surface, and for those of you who have plenty of air left, this little lagoon makes a great place to extend your bottom time whilst being very close to the boat and surface – perfect!

As a relaxing dive, a second dive of the day, a photo-shoot dive, or a 'learning' dive – whatever your reason, this is a site that delivers the goods – we loved it!