The Marietas Islands discovered by Jacques Cousteau

Las Marietas has some really unique features no other destination on Earth has — islands located in Banderas bay, near Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), can not only boast their unbelievable origin dating back a few million years ago at the time of the eruption of an underwater volcano, and not only a hidden beach, located right in the middle of one of the islands but its truly amazing fauna.

Though these islands were long known to many mariners, and therefore added to all nautical charts, they became a real mecca for divers and tourists after 1970. During one of his expeditions, the famous explorer of the ocean Jacques Cousteau decided to stay on the Marietas islands to further explore this unique natural phenomenon.

The first thing that drew the attention of the French explorer were numerous colonies of very rare seabirds Onychoprion anaethetus and Anous stolidus, which cross the ocean once a year to reach the Marietas islands to raise their nestlings. And then began the other discoveries on this unique island.

And if not due to the efforts of Cousteau, then a huge colony of unique boobies (Sula Leucogaster) would long remain a mystery and thirty-six thousand of these animals wouldn’t be likely to survive to see the moment when some other researchers discover them. Many travelers who reach Las Marietas are also astonished by the abundance of various fish species and diversity of coral reefs.

It is quite natural that the government of Mexico heard the outcry of the scientist. Since 1975 the Marietas islands were recognized as the National Marine Park protected by the state and the number of visits there has been restricted. That’s why a personal visit to the islands in order to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of the Banderas Bay has become difficult. But we hope you get lucky enough to see it with your own eyes.