Calaíza is a small cove located very close to it, with a very beautiful beach that is difficult to access by land. It is an ideal place for first-time diving and for beginners in diving. The dive takes place along a stone bottom where the visibility can offer us postcard landscapes, with schools of salps, sea bream, etc. We can also see some octopus wandering along the bottom, and it is not uncommon to find the striking fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) floating in the middle of the water or near the surface; If you find it, look carefully at the fry fish that always accompany it, protecting themselves between their brightly colored tentacles.

A few years ago there was a punt dedicated to mussel farming at this point, of which there are hardly any remains. Well-lit area, especially in the morning, quiet and shallow, make this point a recommended dive for novice divers, but because it is very easy it is not devoid of interest.

We are now outside the Natural Area, to the east of La Herradura bay. We anchor on a plateau of pebbles to avoid damaging the rocky substrate at a depth of about 8 meters. From here we will look for the rock-sand interface and we will follow this profile until we reach a pair of overlapping stones in the shape of a tunnel. A few meters later we will observe a landslide area that we will use as a reference to return, the depth here is 18 meters. It is a shallow area that rises until it almost emerges, with the upper part barely one meter above the surface. It offers us walls that fall vertically towards the bottom, in which we find spirographs or sea dusters (Sabella spallanzanii), and conger eels, moray eels and brotolas live between its cracks. At the hours of greatest lighting, in the afternoon, we will enjoy beautiful backlights with schools of seabream, mojarras and salps. We will do the return flying over the rock formations at a depth of about 10 – 12 meters, thus avoiding entering into decompression, we will do it along a stone bottom where we can find pleasant surprises if we look carefully and with the help of a flashlight. Fredis (Thalassoma turkey) and maidens (Coris julis) abound.

The name comes from the anchoring place, a shelter to the west of the impressive cliff, in the easternmost area of ​​La Herradura Bay. We begin the dive by descending along the anchorage cape, and we navigate gradually gaining depth, with the wall to the left, through a rocky area until reaching a depth of 20 m. At this point we will find the cape that turns left, towards Punta de la Mona; We must be attentive to the blue, because in this area it is common – depending on the season, especially between May and July – to find sunfish (Mola mola), which has given its name to a large block of rock known as the “Stone of the Moons.” Up to this point the dive has a medium profile, but, as we round the cape, we will begin to gain depth and can reach a small cave located at 28 m where the Mediterranean madrépora covers its ceiling. In the vicinity of the entrance you can usually see a lobster of notable size. Between the cracks we can also find large conger eels, octopuses, and the first branches of the yellow or candelabra coral (Dendrophyllia ramea) begin to be seen. In this area there is usually a current, sometimes changing, so we will pay attention to the guide’s instructions. We will also monitor the depth, especially in the final zone, trying not to exceed the safety curve to avoid decompression time. The return to the anchorage is done in the opposite direction, we will ascend at the appropriate speed, but without stopping until an average depth of 15-18 m. When we round the cape again we will find a wall completely covered by orange coral (Astroides calicularis), very spectacular. From there we will sail calmly until we return to anchorage. We ascend gradually for several minutes to the level of 5-8 m, so that we take advantage of the return route to get rid of any minute of deco and make the safety stop, while we enjoy the benthic fauna. Pay attention to the “dead man’s hand” coral (Alcyonum acaule, Alcyonum palmatum), common in this area. The use of a flashlight is highly recommended.

Located in the central area of ​​the Cerro Gordo cliff. It is a Caribbean-style dive following the wall with a very interesting rocky area where conger eels and rockfish abound. Depending on the current, we will begin the dive in the Cueva de la Virgen, or we will end it at that point. The cave, whose vault emerges to the surface, is large enough to enter with our boat. The background is upholstered with Astroids that, together with the backlights, give us a spectacular landscape. Dive usually with a lot of life and in which we can find sunfish, torpedoes, moray eels, octopuses, and even, despite the shallow depth, some lobster.

It is located east of the naturist beach of Cantarriján. It is a very extensive rock formation that reaches from the surface to a maximum depth of 20m. Being in the Cerro Gordo Natural Area, life is abundant, with large stone blocks completely covered with benthic organisms, among which the colorful orange coral (Astroides calicularis), the yellow encrusting anemone (Parazoanthus axinellae) and various cup corals stand out. , actinia and sponges. On the sand and gravel bottoms we found abundant Cerianthus gallinaceus, groups of good-sized mullet, as well as elegant sea plumes (Sabella spallanzanii). We can also find nacras (Pinna nobilis), the largest bivalve mollusk in the Mediterranean. It is advisable to bring a flashlight to be able to see in the cracks that form the collapses in this area, where we can find croakers, brotolas, conger eels, octopuses, and with some luck, also groupers. Attention must be paid to the backlights that are provided to us. Dive without difficulty, although we must pay attention to our buoyancy and finning, taking extreme care not to damage the substrate and its abundant benthic fauna.

It is, without a doubt, the star and most representative dive in the area. Immersion in the same Cape of Punta de la Mona. We depart from the anchoring point in the Marina del Este cove. We can go in immersion, so that we start the descent closer to the objective and we can descend more quickly, letting ourselves fall following the profile of the cliff and thus optimizing our bottom time. Following the orography of the cliff we will always find schools of bream, salps, bogas, etc. The Hypselodoris picta nudibranchs are particularly abundant and of good size in this area, and can be found individually and also in groups of two, three and even four specimens together. Sheltered from the current further down, exceeding the 30 m level, we began to find branches of yellow or candelabra coral (Dendrophyllia ramea), which is the queen species within the species, being spectacularly great for this dive. Some branches are of considerable size, reaching a meter in diameter. The branches, of calcareous consistency, are always bright orange; However, polyps can present two tones, white and yellow; In any case, it is the same species. We are diving in an area exposed to the current, which allows us to find large species such as conger eels and moray eels (sometimes occupying the same crevice), groupers, lobster, and beautiful schools of three-tailed fish; and in the blue dentex, haddock, bream, and also sunfish. It is worth highlighting the large size of the octopuses that we have been able to observe here, already climbing the steep slope after exceeding the maximum level, where the Cerianthus garden that we found also draws attention. Deep dive, often exposed to current and not much visibility, not suitable if you are not properly qualified since it is easy for our computer to mark some decorative stop that we can make calmly on a wall with spectacular macro life.

This dive is an alternative to the previous one when the sea conditions are not appropriate or if the diver prefers not to descend to the coral garden; It is done starting from the same anchorage, like wall diving. We go down the anchoring line and navigate with the wall to the right, gradually gaining depth. At the beginning there are some stone blocks with interesting overhangs, where we can see schools of three-tails, cardinals, encrusting sponges, yellow anemones and Astroids. With luck we can find two interesting mollusks: the Chinese snail (Umbraculum mediterraneum) and the nudibranch Platydoris argo. The sponge Irciniafasciculata is also abundant in these rocks, on whose surface small snails and yellow blennies roam. One of these stone blocks leaves a small hole, like a passage that can be crossed carefully, adorned with the figure of a Virgin approximately one meter high. We continue descending the wall, enjoying the benthic life, but without stopping to look askance at the blue, as we can see schools of salps, bogues and snappers, and with luck also sunfish. When we reach the agreed level, or at half a bottle, or if currents appear, we can turn around and return doing the reverse route until we reach the anchorage.

It can be accessed both from land and from a boat. If we enter from land, we will go a few meters into the surface, before starting the dive. Once we are submerged, we will look for the rock-sand interface and we will begin to dive in the direction to our right. It is a very simple dive with no possibility of getting lost as long as we look for the rock-sand interface. To return we will only have to undo the swim. We will reach a maximum depth of 15 meters, where we will find the most beautiful area with large rocks, cracks and even small tunnels of overlapping stones.