La Herradura, the area around Piedra de la Higuera

La Herradura · Spain · Pinnacle · Reef

Piedra de la Higuera

A square rock in the sand, with old cars on the bottom

Area photo: Jebulon · CC0

A huge, almost square rock standing in the middle of a sandy inlet. The north face sits at about sixteen metres, the south face runs to twenty-four and references on the sand reach twenty-seven, with cracks and fissures cut through the stone. Old cars, boat remains and a jet ski lie on the bottom around it, and ocean sunfish pass in season.

Also known as Piedra de Enmedio.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Piedra de la Higuera: typical dive 15–26 m (50–85 ft), deepest point 27 m (90 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit15 m26 m27 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

36.7208° N, 3.7263° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The rock is almost square and stands alone in a sandy inlet, which makes the dive easy to picture: a lap of one structure, out along one face and back along another. Buceo Aqualia puts a pinnacle at twelve metres, the north face at about sixteen and the south face down to twenty-four, with references on the surrounding sand as deep as twenty-seven. Cracks and fissures cut through the stone at every level.

On the bottom around the base there are pebbles under brown algae and a scatter of wreckage: old cars, the remains of a boat and a jet ski. Gorgonians and tube anemones grow on the rock, conger eels use the fissures, small life covers the faces, and ocean sunfish pass in season. The depth on the south side is what lifts the dive above beginner ground, even though the top of the rock is shallow.

Marine life and season

  • Mola mola
  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Piedra de la Higuera
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFair

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

  1. Piedra de la Higuera — Scubago (SSI)
  2. Buceo en La Herradura - Piedra de la Higuera — Buceo Aqualia
  3. Inmersiones en La Herradura - tabla de puntos — Buceo España

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