A shallow rock ground beside the Marina del Este harbour, east of La Herradura bay, running from two metres down to twelve. It is the area's course site: shallow enough for first breaths and skill circuits, described as framed with a lot of marine life rather than the bare bottom a training area usually gets.
Where it is and how deep
36.7222° N, 3.7277° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The zone sits east of La Herradura bay, off the Marina del Este harbour, and it is shallow from the start: two metres of rock at the top of the ground, twelve at the deepest part of it. That range is the point of the site. Skills that want a stable, standing-depth bottom are done at the shallow end, and the same dive can then be extended into deeper water without leaving the zone or crossing open ground to get there.
Below the shallow shelf the rock carries marine life rather than sand, which is what keeps the zone in use for courses instead of a featureless bottom off the harbour. Entry is from the shore, and a first-timer's surface adaptation, mask and regulator, breathing in place, happens right at the water's edge before anyone goes under. Nothing about the profile forces a plan: at twelve metres the dive ends on air supply or on the exercise list rather than on a no-decompression limit.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Barracuda
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Marina del Este course zone?+
Two to twelve metres. The shallow end is used for skills that need a standing-depth bottom, and the deepest part of the zone is twelve metres, so the whole site sits inside beginner limits.
Sources
- Zona de cursos Marina del Este — Scubago (SSI)
- Bautismo de Buceo en La Herradura — 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
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Walk-in shore bay near Capoliveri in 2–10 m, with turtles since 2021
An 8 to 12 m plateau where big barracuda schools pass over nudibranch-rich rock
Small octopus on the anchorage rock at 5 m
A sheltered 7 m dive beside the Deux Frères rocks