El Hierro · Spain · Wall · Cave & cavern
El Salto
A 20 m rock arch, with sand tiger sharks from June to October
Area photo: javiersanp · CC BY-SA 3.0
El Salto is a rocky wall about 20 meters deep in a canyoned stretch of the Mar de las Calmas, the sheltered south-west coast of El Hierro. A small cave with a large rock arch sits at its centre, with barracuda, grouper and spiny pufferfish around it, and from June to October some female sand tiger sharks come to the site — one of the few places in the world where divers can get close to them.
Where it is and how deep
27.6723° N, 18.0295° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive is a rocky wall of about 20 meters in a canyoned piece of coast, and it runs quietly: the site is described as an immersion without currents, so you can set your own pace along the face instead of working with a flow. Small caves break the rock and the light plays through the canyon walls, which is most of the appeal of the place before you reach the arch.
The centre of the site is a small cave with a large rock arch over it. Barracuda hold above it, grouper sit in the rock around it, and spiny pufferfish tuck into the holes, so the arch is where the fish life of the site concentrates rather than being spread along the wall. It is also the natural place to spend the middle of the dive.
From June to October some female sand tiger sharks — solrayo, Odontaspis ferox — come to this site, and it is one of the few places in the world where divers can see them and dive close to them. That makes the summer and autumn dives here a different proposition from the rest of the year: the terrain is the same, but the reason to be in the water changes.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Sand tiger sharks
| 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.
Questions divers ask
Are there sharks at El Salto?+
From June to October some female sand tiger sharks (solrayo, Odontaspis ferox) come to the site, and it is one of the few places in the world where divers can get close to them. Outside those months El Salto is dived for the rock arch and the wall itself.
How deep is El Salto?+
It is a rocky wall of about 20 meters in a canyoned zone, with the cave and its rock arch at the heart of the site, which keeps it inside a standard recreational profile.
Sources
- Mar de las Calmas — Wikipedia (Spanish)
- El Salto 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
Cave & cavern
A rock gate onto an 18 m plateau with two standing towers
Seamount
Twin peaks at 8 m over walls falling 80 m, in current that feeds the fish
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
Wall
Ilhéu de Vila Franca
Azores · Portugal
Passages in the wall of a protected volcanic islet
A drop-off starting at 15 to 18 metres, dived from the beach
A branch of orange coral inside a cave at the end of the wall
Two entries 350 m apart: arches inshore, lava tongues to 40 m