You can help us study and monitor the endangered fishes of Laguna de Apoyo and their habitat by SCUBA diving with us.
At Gaia, we have organized studies of the fishes of Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua, over the past
fifteen years. Certified scuba divers can participate in our monitoring program and aid us in gathering
important information about these fishes and their habitat. The dives are technical but not particularly
demanding, and divers get to learn about the endemic fishes up close. Gaia is
dedicated to supporting scientific research which provides useful information for use by conservation
authorities, the government, and the public, in addition to the scientific community. Our work,
some of which is described below, is focused on discovering new species, determining native ranges and
habitats of species, and evaluating the threats to native species posed by human activity.
Divers on their way to study the fishes in
Laguna de Apoyo. Photo by Kim Bracken.
You can accompany our SCUBA divers in a data-gathering excursion. You will learn about the endemic fish species of
Laguna de Apoyo, their names and habits, and you will see several of these fish species underwater while on
your dive. In season, you will see them nesting and defending their fry. The dives on which you will
accompany us are usually shore-entry and require the technical skills corresponding to open water
certification. The dive plans do not require special decompression stops. We have a Bauer compressor which
provides the cleanest air of any compressor in Nicaragua.
Laguna de Apoyo is a volcanic crater lake, isolated from other water bodies, and is a great laboratory for the study of evolution.
The lake contains up to a dozen species of fish only found in the lake. Our Gaia scientists and technicians
are working on the discovery and conservation of these species, and to date, we have officially discovered five fish species endemic to Lake Apoyo. By diving
with us, you can participate in our research program, learn about evolution and see some recently discovered species, and you may very well
see some which have not yet been discovered. Our opportunities to see many rare and endemic species are unique.
Arrow cichlids defending their fry, near Estación
Biológica. Photo by Garey Knop.
Every time you dive Laguna de Apoyo with us, you help protect the endangered fish species of our beautiful lake.
Gaia maintains an active, vigorous research program, which has
resulted in more than a dozen scientific publications in the most prestigious journals in the scientific
community. We have worked in alliances with ichthyological and fisheries scientists throughout the world,
including the following: Jay R. Stauffer, Jr. (The Pennsylvania State University, USA); Topi
Lehtonen (Monash University, Australia); Axel Meyer (Konstanz University, Germany), Uli Schliewen
(Ludwig Maximillian University, Germany);
Isabel Jimenez (Universidad de Boca del Rio, Mexico); Brian Murphy (Virginia Tech); Marten Hogencamp
(Wageningen University, Netherlands); Gabrielle Canonico (University of Maryland, USA); Ronald G.
Oldfield (Case Western University, USA); Salvador Montenegro (CIRA, Nicaragua).
A SCUBA diver takes notes while watching the
fish below. Photo Garey Knop.
The fish species found in Laguna de Apoyo are:
By participating in our dive research program, you can observe endangered, newly discovered fish species in
their natural habitat, help us to collect data about them and their habitat, and help to finance our work in
the most important conservation issue in Nicaragua today-discovering and protecting the endangered wildlife of Nicaragua. The experience of
diving in a freshwater, volcanic crater lake differs from the ocean, and is worth the experience.
Please contact us for more details about how you can participate with us. Dive Nicaragua! Dive Laguna de Apoyo!
We are eager to discuss our program with scientists, science students, and potential longer-term volunteers who want to work on the
fascinating freshwater fishes of Nicaragua with us. If you are any of those, please contact us!
We occasionally offer PADI Open Water Diver Certification and other certifications. Please inquire regarding our next Open Water Diver
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