A shallow Cerro Gordo dive east of Cantarriján beach, inside the Maro protected area; Scubago says access has to be by boat for that reason. Published depths differ: one source gives a fourteen-metre maximum and calls it easy and suitable for all levels, another lists it at five to twenty-two metres and Open to Advanced. Conger eels, groupers and torpedo rays work the bottom.
Where it is and how deep
36.7323° N, 3.7735° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site lies east of Cantarriján beach, at the western end of the coast the La Herradura boats work, and inside the Maro protected natural area, which Scubago gives as the reason it is reached only by boat. Published depths differ. Scubago gives a fourteen-metre maximum and calls the dive easy and suitable for all levels; Buceo España's table of local points lists it at five to twenty-two metres and Open to Advanced.
Either way this is shallow rock-and-bottom diving rather than a deep profile, and the dive is planned around the boat rather than around bottom time. Conger eels sit in the holes, groupers work the rock, seabream pass over it, and torpedo rays lie out where the sand opens between the stones. The bottom life is the reason to come, so the pace is slow and close to the ground.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| 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
- Los Candelabros — 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
A wall dive despite the name, 5 to 19 m
Reef
Blocks down to a 32 m plain, with a grouper under a 44 m overhang
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
Try-dive shallows at 3-5 m, groupers on the way to 16 m
Blocks, caves and furrows in the south face that took ships' anchors
A plateau below the lighthouse with barracuda, groupers and cuttlefish
Headland rock to about 19 m, with groupers and dentex