
La Graciosa & the Chinijo Archipelago · Spain · Reef
El Bajo de las Gerardias
The world's highest concentration of Gerardia savaglia coral
Area photo: MiljenkoSuljic · CC BY-SA 4.0
El Bajo de las Gerardias is a deep boat dive off the island of Montaña Clara in the Chinijo Archipelago marine reserve, open only to expert divers. Divers with deep training come for its gerardia coral, which grows on this seabed in a density found nowhere else.
Also known as Las Gerardias, Bajo de las Gerardias.
Where it is and how deep
29.2858° N, 13.5435° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The whole dive is spent between 27 and 40 m on a seabed unlike most, because of how rare the species living on it are. The highest concentration of Gerardia savaglia in the world grows here, and the colonies of this coral are what the descent is for.
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 | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows La Graciosa & the Chinijo Archipelago: May to October brings the warmest water and the best visibility; the mild climate keeps any month a reasonable time to come.
Dive videos
🪸 ¡GERARDIAS GIGANTES A SOLO 30 METROS! 🌊🇪🇸 | Bajo de las Gerardias | La Graciosa | 26-09-2015 🤿 · Producciones Maldisub on YouTube
Sources
- Gerardias — ScubaGo
- Scuba Diving in La Graciosa — Visit La Graciosa
More dive sites in La Graciosa & the Chinijo Archipelago
Cave & cavern
A sea cave in a cliff that shelters large jacks and sargos
Reef
Large groupers and Canarian lobsters in a maze of rock columns
Reef
Raw volcanic seabed in its purest form
Anchors left on the seabed since the 15th and 16th centuries
Similar dives elsewhere
A platform at 25 m on the north side before the drop to 40 m
Reef
Baixa do Espelho
Azores · Portugal
A volcanic arch to swim through on a reef topping out at 7 m
A volcanic plateau at 24 m dropping to sand at 35 m
Gothic-looking volcanic rock full of vaults, arches and dykes


