Cabo Tiñoso (La Azohía, Isla Plana & Puerto de Mazarrón) · Spain · Wall
El Tajo (Tajo Colorao)
A reddish cut in the Cabo Tiñoso cliffs, down to 30 m
Area photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) · CC BY-SA 4.0
El Tajo is a wall dive in the cliffs of Cabo Tiñoso, known locally as the Tajo Colorao for the reddish-toned cut in the rock that marks it. It runs to a maximum of 30 m and is dived at all levels, over a bottom of fallen blocks that holds the small life — flatworms, polychaete worms and nudibranchs — alongside moray, conger, octopus and barracuda.
Also known as Tajo Colorao.
Where it is and how deep
37.5408° N, 1.1585° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wall is the site. It sits in the cliffs of Cabo Tiñoso and takes its local name, Tajo Colorao, from the reddish tone of a cut in the rock; the dive runs down the face to a maximum of 30 m, so the shape of the profile is yours to pick — deep along the base first, or a long, slow traverse of the shallower face if the plan is to hunt small things.
At the foot of the wall the bottom is made of blocks fallen from it, and that broken ground is where patience pays: flatworms and polychaete worms on the rock, nudibranchs over it, and forkbeard, moray, conger and octopus back in the gaps. Out from the wall, damselfish, bream and corvina hold in the water with barracuda among them — the ordinary Mediterranean cast, in good numbers, against a red rock face.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Barracuda
- Macro critters
| 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 Tiñoso (La Azohía, Isla Plana & Puerto de Mazarrón): June to September is the comfortable window, and visibility can reach 30 m against a 15 m average; centres run trips year-round, with winter water near 15 °C.
Sources
- El Tajo — Scubago — Scubago
- Guía de puntos de buceo en Mazarrón y en la Reserva Marina de Cabo Tiñoso — Buceo Hispania
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