A small cove on the Cerro Gordo coast with a good beach that is hard to reach overland, so the diving is done from a boat. The ground runs from six to fifteen metres of rock and the sand between it, and the dive is a slow lap of the cove: scorpionfish, gobies, octopus and flabellina nudibranchs rather than anything passing offshore.
Also known as Calaiza.
Where it is and how deep
36.7338° N, 3.7619° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Cala Iza is a small cove on the Cerro Gordo coast, close to the village end of the protected coastline, with a beach that is difficult to reach over land. That is why the dive is made from a boat, dropping into the cove itself. The ground runs from six metres to fifteen, all of it rock and the sand lying between it, and the dive is a lap of the cove rather than a route with an objective at the far end.
It rewards looking rather than covering ground. Scorpionfish sit motionless against the rock and are easy to swim straight past, gobies hold station over the sand patches, octopus work the cracks, and flabellina nudibranchs feed on the shaded faces. Fifteen metres is the maximum anywhere in the cove, so bottom time is generous and the pace can stay slow the whole way round.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows La Herradura: Dived all year; December to March sits at 14-16 °C and winter storms cut visibility to 5-10 m for days, while spring and autumn hold the most consistent 15-25 m.
Sources
- Cala Iza — Scubago (SSI)
- Inmersiones en La Herradura - tabla de puntos (Calaiza) — Buceo España
More dive sites in La Herradura
A wall dive despite the name, 5 to 19 m
Reef
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Reef
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Wall
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Pinnacle
A square rock in the sand, with old cars on the bottom
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Reef
Tunnels and overhangs under the Punta de la Mona cliff
Wall
Wall to three canyons, then routes from 25 to 48 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Steps from the lighthouse car park into the cape's main shore dive
A reef grown over 2,000-year-old amphorae at 13-18 m
A small sponge-lined cavern at 22 m off the lighthouse islet
A rock off the town's port, 5 m down to 24 m