Hoyo Soplador

The southern point of San Andres is old raised coral, and an underground passage runs from the sea to a vent in the rock about a hundred metres inland - when a swell pushes water into the passage, the air and water are forced up and out of the hole, producing a jet that can reach several metres depending on conditions. It works only when the sea is running: on a calm day it does nothing at all, and on a big swell it is dramatic. That variability is the main thing to know, and visitors who arrive on a flat day are regularly disappointed. Stalls and vendors have grown up around it and the immediate area is commercialised. The rest of the southern end has coral shore, and West View nearby has snorkelling from the rocks.

What you actually see

• A jet of water from a coral vent - forced up by swell.
• A hundred metres inland - connected to the sea by a passage.
• Nothing at all on a calm day - the effect depends on the sea.
• Vendors around the site - the area is commercialised.

When to go

Year round, when there is swell; the trade wind months are more reliable. Half an hour.

Honest expectations

On a calm day there is no spout - the single most common disappointment. The site is small and surrounded by stalls. Spray is salt and gets on cameras. It is a brief stop on the island circuit.

Nearby

West View is close; San Andres town is north.