Cabo Tiñoso (La Azohía, Isla Plana & Puerto de Mazarrón) · Spain · Reef · Wall
Isla de Paco
An island wall from 2 m to 18 m over posidonia meadow
Area photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Isla de Paco is the shallow island dive of this coast, run along the outer south wall of the island over posidonia meadow. Depths go from 2 m to 18 m on the outside and the visibility is excellent, which is why centres use it for beginners: octopus, moray, groupers and crabs, without ever going deep enough to shorten the dive.
Also known as Isla de Adentro.
Where it is and how deep
37.5556° N, 1.2695° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive works the outer south wall of the island, where posidonia meadow runs up against rock. Depth is never the issue here: the ground starts almost at the surface and reaches 18 m at the outside, so the whole profile sits inside a first-certification limit and there is time to look at things properly instead of managing a computer.
That leaves the life, which over a posidonia bottom is a matter of looking closely rather than swimming far. Octopus sit in the rock, groupers hold under the ledges, moray eels show in the cracks, and crabs work the meadow. Buceo Hispania rates the visibility here as excellent, and between the light and the shallow depth it is one of the easier places on this coast to bring a camera or a nervous new diver.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Groupers
- 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
- Isla de Paco — Scubago — Scubago
- Guía de puntos de buceo en Mazarrón y en la Reserva Marina de Cabo Tiñoso — Buceo Hispania
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