Cabo de Gata-Níjar · Spain · Cave & cavern · Reef
Cañones San Andrés
Gliding through light-filled rock canyons inside 12 m
Area photo: Konrad Hädener from Thun, Switzerland · CC BY 2.0
Cañones San Andrés threads natural canyons and passages through the rock off Isla de San Andrés, with light falling through the openings and a maximum depth of 12 m. Rated perfect for beginner divers, it also suits photographers who like working shallow, and it opens on a cave full of groupers.
Where it is and how deep
36.9934° N, 1.8863° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Cañones San Andrés is dived by boat from Carboneras with a maximum depth of just 12 m. The dive starts at a cave full of groupers; from there you exit through a corridor and glide through the natural canyons and passages that name the site, where the openings overhead let in columns of light — the entrances themselves are the scenery.
Company on the swim is constant: bream, barracuda and salps accompany the group, all in large shoals. The site is rated perfect for beginner divers, and the same qualities serve experienced photographers and videographers who enjoy shallow work — bright light, easy terrain and generous bottom time inside 12 m.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cabo de Gata-Níjar: Visitor season peaks spring through summer; surface water swings from 10-15 °C in winter to 21-30 °C in summer, with 22 °C still logged in October.
Sources
- Cañones San Andrés dive site — Scubago
- Cañones San Andrés dive site (SSI MyDiveGuide) — SSI MyDiveGuide
More dive sites in Cabo de Gata-Níjar
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Try-dive shallows at 3-5 m, groupers on the way to 16 m
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Small octopus on the anchorage rock at 5 m
Wreck
A WWII bomber engine standing alone in the sand at 27 m
Cave & cavern
A natural rock tunnel to swim through at 15-20 m
Cave & cavern
Volcanic cave diving without an advanced card
Wall
Sardine schools hunted by small tuna at the end of summer
Similar dives elsewhere
Small caves and walls at 9 m off the Salou headland
A 30 m tunnel through the cliffs from 6 m, plus a cavern with an air bubble
Barracuda at the cave corner and an open chamber to surface in, off-season
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A marine cave to 19 m opening onto a reef that drops past 30 m