El Hierro · Spain · Cave & cavern · Reef
Barco Chino
A rock gate onto an 18 m plateau with two standing towers
Area photo: javiersanp · CC BY-SA 3.0
Barco Chino is a landscape dive a few kilometres up the coast from La Restinga, entered through a big rock gate that opens onto a plateau at 18 meters with two towers standing near its edge. Holes, caverns and swim-throughs run through the lava all along the route, which keeps the dive inside the rock rather than out over sand.
Where it is and how deep
27.6749° N, 17.9697° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The route in goes through a big rock gate, and beyond it the ground opens into a plateau at 18 meters. Two towers of rock stand near the edge of that plateau and make an obvious reference for the rest of the dive: they are visible from a distance in this water and easy to navigate back to whichever way the route has taken you.
From there it is landscape diving. The lava is full of holes, caverns and swim-throughs, so the dive is spent working through structure rather than swimming a straight line over it. Take the passages one at a time, keep the towers or the plateau edge in view for orientation, and treat any overhead as a place to be deliberate about trim and light.
Because the plateau tops out at 18 meters the profile stays inside a comfortable recreational range for the whole dive, which leaves gas for exploring the rock rather than for depth. Work back towards the gate and the mooring as your pressure drops and finish shallow over the plateau.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows El Hierro: Diveable year-round with mild swings in temperature; Jun–Oct brings the calmest seas and warmest water.
Sources
- Barco Chino dive site — Scubago/SSI
More dive sites in El Hierro
Wall
A drop-off from 20 m and a swim-through at the 6 m stop
Seamount
Twin peaks at 8 m over walls falling 80 m, in current that feeds the fish
Wall
A 20 m rock arch, with sand tiger sharks from June to October
Wall
A ravine that ends at a vertical wall and cave past 30 m
Cave & cavern
A 25 m long cave at only 8 m, next to the mooring
Wall
A 20 m lava platform ending at a wall that falls past 40 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Lava arches at 14 to 18 m on the edge of the marine reserve
A tunnel in at 8 metres, out at 18
The archipelago's simplest dive, 6 m average in a sheltered bay
More than ten lava arches strung between 5 and 10 m