Costa Brava · Spain · Wall · Sand slope
Canons de Tamariu
Twin gorges between three walls, 10 m down to 40 m
Area photo: Mikipons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Two gorges set between three walls with sand on the floor, about half a mile in front of Tamariu. The dive begins at a little over 10 m and the gullies drop to 40 m, with a listed average of 20 m and a maximum of 42 m. The walls are densely populated with sea fans, and depth and current are the dangers named for the site.
Also known as Cala Nova.
Where it is and how deep
41.9229° N, 3.2223° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site lies roughly half a mile off Tamariu and is built of two gorges set between three walls, with sand on the floor of each. The dive begins at a little over 10 m, at the top of the structure, and the gullies drop away from there to 40 m; the listed average is 20 m and the listed maximum 42 m. The shape does the navigation for you — down one gorge, along a wall, back up the other.
The walls are densely populated with sea fans, which is what the dive is for: the fans stand off the rock along the faces, and the sand strip at the bottom of each gorge gives a clean line to swim. Current is listed as low, under a knot, and visibility as good, between 10 and 30 m. Depth and current are both named as dangers here, and the first is the one to plan for, because it is easy to follow a wall down a gorge and find yourself at 40 m without meaning to.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Costa Brava: Surface water sits near 13 °C from January to March and peaks around 25 °C in August; local guidance is 5 mm in July and August, 7 mm April to June and September to October, drysuit the rest.
Know before you go
- Depth and current are the listed dangers; the gorges run to 40 m, so fix a maximum before you follow a wall down one.
Sources
- Canons de Tamariu — Scubago
- Els Canons de Tamariu — Wannadive — Wannadive.net
- Palamos town to Cap de Begur — area index — Wannadive.net
- Diving in Tamariu — Submarinisme Costa Brava
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Reef
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Sand slope
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