Cabo Tiñoso (La Azohía, Isla Plana & Puerto de Mazarrón) · Spain · Wall
Mina Cristal
A vertical rock wall under an old cliff-top mine
Area photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mina Cristal is a vertical, rocky dive named after an old mine at the top of the cliff above it. It reaches a maximum of 30 m and is rated easy and open to every diving level, with good visibility and a lot of life on the rock: the catalogue lists nudibranchs, moray eels in the cracks, and ocean sunfish as a possibility in the water alongside.
Where it is and how deep
37.5406° N, 1.1466° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive is a wall: a vertical, rocky environment with good visibility and abundant life on it, running down to a maximum of 30 m. Both the catalogue and Buceo Hispania rate it easy and suitable for every level of diver, which in practice means the wall gives you the choice — dive the shallow half of it and you still see most of what is there.
Follow the rock and read it closely rather than covering ground. Nudibranchs head the catalogue's list here, moray eels sit back in the cracks, and the good visibility here is what lets you actually pick the small life off the wall. Ocean sunfish are possible out in the open water alongside, but they are a bonus rather than a plan. The site takes its name from the old mine at the top of the cliff above the dive.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| 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
- Mina Cristal — Scubago — Scubago
- Guía de puntos de buceo en Mazarrón y en la Reserva Marina de Cabo Tiñoso — Buceo Hispania
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