The name points at the surface landmark the dive starts from, not at the diving: this is wall work from five metres down to about nineteen on the Cerro Gordo cliff coast, with no overhead at any point. Orange coral covers the shaded rock, and dentex, seabream, triggerfish and eagle rays are on the local list for the site.
Where it is and how deep
36.7306° N, 3.7703° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The name misleads, and the local descriptions say so plainly: there is no cave dive here. The cave is the landmark the dive starts from, and everything below the surface happens on a wall. From five metres down to about nineteen the face runs along the Cerro Gordo cliff coast, and the wall itself is the whole of the navigation, out along it and back the same way at a shallower depth.
Orange coral covers the shaded parts of the face. Dentex and seabream work the edge of the blue, triggerfish hang off the rock, and eagle rays are named on the local list for this site. The site sits inside the Maro-Cerro Gordo protected coast and is dived from a boat, and at nineteen metres the limit on the dive is the gas in the cylinder, not the profile.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
| 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
- Cueva de las Palomas — Scubago (SSI)
- Inmersiones en La Herradura - tabla de puntos — Buceo España
- Buceo en Cerro Gordo — Buceo Aqualia
More dive sites in La Herradura
Reef
A shallow cove lap, 6 to 15 m, best reached by boat
Reef
Blocks down to a 32 m plain, with a grouper under a 44 m overhang
Reef
Shallow Cerro Gordo bottom diving east of Cantarriján
Wall
Wall diving on the Cerro Gordo cliffs, 8 to 22 m
Pinnacle
A square rock in the sand, with old cars on the bottom
Stacked slabs and tunnels between 8 and 18 m
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
Eagle rays and hunting barracuda on the island's outer wall
The shallow half of the cove, with its best rock at 8 to 20 m
Overhangs and rock walls to 20 m, good for finding octopus
Rocky walls, sand and small caves in 5 to 20 m of calm water