Santander & Isla de Mouro · Spain · Reef
La Corbera
A maze of rock channels with spider crabs, octopus and big wrasse
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
La Corbera is a small rock islet that breaks the surface beside the Isla de Mouro, the nature reserve at the mouth of the Bay of Santander. It is a boat dive through a maze of rock in the islet's base, and divers come for the density of fish and crustaceans in the gaps and for the chance, in a calm sea, to swim on to the walls of Mouro itself.
Also known as Corbera.
Where it is and how deep
43.4733° N, 3.7556° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Many passages and channels cut through the rocky base of the islet, and the dive threads between them at 18 to 20 m. Large ballan wrasse and white sea bream hang in the channels, spider crabs and octopus hold in the rock, and shoals of bogue and other sea bream move through the gaps.
With a good sea the route carries on to the walls of Mouro, following the long channels that link the islet to the island. The dive ends a little away from the cliff, so the boat can pick divers up in open water.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Santander & Isla de Mouro: Boats run from late April to late October; April to September is the best stretch, and visibility can pass 15 m in spring and summer.
Photos from La Corbera
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
🌊 ¡70 MIN RODEANDO MOURO! TÚNELES, CORRIENTE Y NITRÓGENO 🇪🇸 | La Corbera | Santander | 18-07-2015 🤿 · Producciones Maldisub on YouTube
Sources
- Isla de Mouro - Mourosub — Mourosub
Photo credits
- A diver in a black wetsuit with twin tanks rides a sea scooter along a rock wall covered in red algae, trailing bubbles in blue water by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A diver with a yellow tank descends a narrow channel between two rock walls covered in red algae, with bubbles rising toward the light by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- One mottled blue-green fish with pale spots rests on rock covered in pink and red algae by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- One silver fish with broad black vertical bands swims over rock covered in pink and red algae by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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