Ceuta · Spain · Reef
Piedra del Pineo
A lead statue of the Virgen del Carmen on the seabed
Piedra del Pineo is a calm, shallow rock dive in Ceuta known for the lead statue of the Virgen del Carmen that stands on its bottom. Divers come for the statue and for the groupers, damselfish and echinoderms around it.
0Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Ceuta and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The lead statue of the Virgen del Carmen is submerged at 14 m. Damselfish and groupers swim around the rock, and echinoderms are countless on it. On 16 July, the Virgen's feast day, a floral offering is made with divers both on the sea and under it.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Ceuta: Boats run all year; the sea is coolest in February and March, near 16 °C, and warmest in July and August, near 23 °C.
Dive videos
Piedra del Pineo . CEUTA · H2OLIMA00 on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is the underwater offering at Piedra del Pineo?+
On 16 July, the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, patron of the sea and the navy, a floral offering is made with divers both on the surface and under the sea.
Sources
- Buceando con Nautik | Ceuta, la puerta de África — Forbes España (Nautik)
More dive sites in Ceuta
Reef
Wreck remains crowded with life on an easy shoal
Wall
Lobsters and spider crabs among gorgonians on a sheer rock face
Moray and conger eels in the rock by Ceuta's harbour mouth
Cave & cavern
A cave lined inside and out with red coral
Pinnacle
Three rock towers rising off the seabed like a cathedral
Wreck
A sunken fish farm, well preserved and deep, far off the Ceuta coast
Similar dives elsewhere
Two sea-carved amphitheatres joined over the top of a wall
Orange sponges, groupers and octopuses in a bay dived by day and night
Small octopus on the anchorage rock at 5 m
Reef
Escull Negre
Tabarca & Santa Pola · Spain
Big groupers in the corridor between two rocks, all within 14 m