Reefwander

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

Depth profile of Escull Roig: typical dive to 8 m (to 26 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit8 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

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
Month-by-month season rating for Escull Roig
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFair

Season follows Tabarca & Santa Pola: The sea averages 14 °C in February, the coldest month, and 26 °C in August, the warmest.

Sources

  1. Buceo - Vadum Maris — Vadum Maris
  2. Escull Roig (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap contributors

More dive sites in Tabarca & Santa Pola

Artificial reef

Anti-trawling concrete blocks turned into a 24 m reef

to 24 mintermediate

Big groupers in the corridor between two rocks, all within 14 m

to 14 mbeginner

Reef

Remains of Tabarca's old tuna traps among grottoes and sand

to 14 mbeginner

A 50 m rock on a migration route, with schools of large groupers

to 24 mintermediate

Reef

Stone arches and caves in clear, bright water to 14 m

to 14 mbeginner

A conger with cleaner shrimps in an old fishing boat's stern tube

12–19 mintermediate

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Amphitheatre

Paphos & Coral Bay · Cyprus

Two sea-carved amphitheatres joined over the top of a wall

to 14 mbeginner

Reef

Aquarium Bay

Fethiye & Ölüdeniz · Turkey

Orange sponges, groupers and octopuses in a bay dived by day and night

to 10 mbeginner

Reef

Dalyan Bay

Fethiye & Ölüdeniz · Turkey

A shallow first-dive bay that also works as a night dive

to 10 mbeginner

Reef

El Acuario

Cabo de Gata-Níjar · Spain

Small octopus on the anchorage rock at 5 m

to 14 mbeginner