El Hierro · Spain · Seamount · Wall · Pelagic & blue water
El Bajón
Twin peaks at 8 m over walls falling 80 m, in current that feeds the fish
Area photo: javiersanp · CC BY-SA 3.0
El Bajón is a submarine volcano about 300 m off La Restinga, the southernmost dive in Spain and the signature site of the Mar de las Calmas marine reserve. Two rocky humps rise to within 8 or 9 m of the surface, and the walls below them drop to around 50 m, and to about 80 m on the face that looks out to open sea. Current runs here on almost every dive, and it is what packs the mount with fish.
Where it is and how deep
27.6370° N, 17.9785° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You tie to the buoy rather than anchor, and the descent lands you on the top of a submarine mountain rather than on reef. Two rocky humps stand off the mount and come up to within 8 or 9 m of the surface; they are the reference point for everything that follows, because the rock falls away from them on every side. The current usually makes itself felt as soon as you leave the line.
The working depth is 18 to 40 m along the walls. The face that looks out to open sea drops vertically for about 80 m, and the other four sides fall to roughly 50 m. Keep the rock on one shoulder, use the sheltered side when the flow is running hard, and work your way back up towards the peaks with gas in reserve. With 25 to 40 m of visibility you can read the shape of the whole mount from a distance.
The current is the reason for the fish. Schools of barracuda hang in the flow with jacks and big amberjack cutting through them, tuna and bonito hunt in packs, and dusky grouper hold station in the rock. Giant manta pass occasionally, whale sharks and hammerheads turn up now and then, so it is worth turning off the wall to look into the blue. Closer in, the cracks and ledges hold nudibranchs and shrimp.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Manta rays
- Whale sharks
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Nudibranchs
| 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.
Know before you go
- Current is present on almost every dive here and is sometimes very strong; start into it, use the sheltered side of the mount and plan the climb back to the peaks before gas runs low.
- The seaward face keeps falling about 80 m, far past the recreational range, so watch your computer on the vertical wall rather than following the rock down.
Dive videos
🌋 ¡EL BAJÓN, LA INMERSIÓN ESTRELLA DE EL HIERRO! 🐟🌊🇪🇸 | El Bajón | El Hierro | 29-10-2012 🤿 · Producciones Maldisub on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is El Bajón?+
The two peaks come up to about 8 or 9 m below the surface, and the usual recreational profile runs 18 to 40 m along the walls. The seaward face keeps dropping vertically to around 80 m, well past recreational limits.
What level do you need to dive El Bajón?+
Advanced Open Water or equivalent, with real experience in current. The La Restinga centres are direct about it: current is almost always running and can be very strong, so this is not a site for a first dive after certification.
How do you get to El Bajón?+
By boat only, with an authorised centre, about three minutes from the harbour at La Restinga. It lies inside the Reserva Marina de La Restinga-Mar de las Calmas, where anchoring is banned and boats tie to a mooring buoy, one boat at a time with up to 12 divers.
Sources
- Buceo en El Bajón: la inmersión más espectacular de El Hierro — Centro de Buceo El Hierro
- Inmersiones — Buceo La Restinga
- Zonas de inmersión en El Hierro — Centro de Buceo El Bajón
- Mar de las Calmas — Wikipedia (es)
- Punta de la Restinga — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
- Wetsuit thickness by water temperatureGear & kit · 11 min read
- Why is 1.4 bar the oxygen limit in diving?Body & health · 13 min read
- Gas density: why deep air gets hard to breatheBody & health · 8 min read
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
- Where to dive with whale sharks, month by monthBig animals · 16 min read
- When and where to dive with hammerheadsBig animals · 16 min read
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