Tabarca & Santa Pola · Spain · Reef
Escull Roig
Sheltered 8 m dive among rocks full of small, photogenic life
A small islet southeast of Tabarca that breaks the surface by a few metres, with a sheltered dive no deeper than 8 m. It suits newer divers and anyone who likes searching rocks and crevices for small life, from nudibranchs and scorpionfish to octopus and cuttlefish.
Also known as Escollo Rojo.
Where it is and how deep
38.1606° N, 0.4709° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Escull Roig is a small islet southeast of the island that rises a few metres above the surface. The dive is shallow, with a maximum of 8 m, and sheltered, which makes it a calm dive for newer divers as well as for experienced ones who enjoy poking among the rocks and crevices.
Small marine life is plentiful and tends to stay put for photographs. Flatfish, salema, two-banded bream, bogue, scorpionfish, groupers, gilthead bream, nudibranchs, morays, octopus and cuttlefish are among the species seen around the rocks, in calm, shallow water where most of them hold still long enough to be photographed.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Tabarca & Santa Pola: The sea averages 14 °C in February, the coldest month, and 26 °C in August, the warmest.
Sources
- Buceo - Vadum Maris — Vadum Maris
- Escull Roig (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors
More dive sites in Tabarca & Santa Pola
Artificial reef
Anti-trawling concrete blocks turned into a 24 m reef
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Big groupers in the corridor between two rocks, all within 14 m
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Remains of Tabarca's old tuna traps among grottoes and sand
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A 50 m rock on a migration route, with schools of large groupers
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Stone arches and caves in clear, bright water to 14 m
Wall
A conger with cleaner shrimps in an old fishing boat's stern tube
Similar dives elsewhere
Two sea-carved amphitheatres joined over the top of a wall
Orange sponges, groupers and octopuses in a bay dived by day and night
A shallow first-dive bay that also works as a night dive
Small octopus on the anchorage rock at 5 m


