Tarifa sits where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet, and most of its diving happens around Isla de las Palomas, the island joined to the town, inside the Parque Natural del Estrecho. More than 10 sites ring the island, from the buoyed reef of La Piscina to the coral-covered walls of La Pared, with two wrecks, San Andrés and Las Gorgonias, for advanced divers.
About diving in Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar
Dive trips go out by boat from Tarifa harbour, and the ride to a site such as the San Andrés wreck takes under ten minutes. A morning makes two dives, and the boat usually comes back to the harbour between them to swap tanks. The island lies inside the natural park, so it can only be dived with a dive centre and every dive is guided. The site is chosen on the spot from the wind and the currents, which can be strong in the strait.
Corals, nudibranchs and small to medium fish cover the rock all around the island, and the Atlantic side adds rocky walls, overhangs and corridors between large rocks. The Atlantic upwellings bring larger animals, from groupers, moray and conger eels to large octopus and cuttlefish. Currents and the sometimes strong easterly wind have thrown many ships onto the rocks, and their wrecks are now part of the dives. Part of the island's coast is a strict reserve within the natural park.
The sites around the island cover every level, and La Piscina suits any diver. Drift dives are common in the strait's fast-changing currents, and those drifts are for advanced divers. At the two Punta Marroquí points, the southernmost tip of the continent, current is usual and sometimes very intense, so they ask for more experience than the easy sites.
Best time to dive Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 18°C64°F | 19°C66°F | 21°C70°F | 21°C70°F | 21°C70°F | 20°C68°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F |
| Daytime high | 19°C66°F | 19°C66°F | 21°C70°F | 23°C73°F | 26°C79°F | 29°C84°F | 32°C90°F | 33°C91°F | 30°C86°F | 27°C81°F | 23°C73°F | 20°C68°F |
| Rain | 65 mm2.6 in | 50 mm2.0 in | 106 mm4.2 in | 53 mm2.1 in | 26 mm1.0 in | 6 mm0.2 in | 1 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 18 mm0.7 in | 66 mm2.6 in | 92 mm3.6 in | 70 mm2.8 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 18°C64°F | 19°C66°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 19°C66°F | 19°C66°F | 21°C70°F | 23°C73°F | 26°C79°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 65 mm2.6 in | 50 mm2.0 in | 106 mm4.2 in | 53 mm2.1 in | 26 mm1.0 in | 6 mm0.2 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 21°C70°F | 21°C70°F | 21°C70°F | 20°C68°F | 19°C66°F | 18°C64°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 32°C90°F | 33°C91°F | 30°C86°F | 27°C81°F | 23°C73°F | 20°C68°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 1 mm0.0 in | 2 mm0.1 in | 18 mm0.7 in | 66 mm2.6 in | 92 mm3.6 in | 70 mm2.8 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Guided dives run every day of the year; the Las Gorgonias wreck can only be dived from August to May.
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Tarifa water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 16 °C (61 °F) in March to 21 °C (70 °F) in August. Most rain falls from October to April, peaking at about 110 mm (4.3 in) in March; it stays largely dry from May to September. Daytime highs reach 33 °C (91 °F) in August and drop to 19 °C (66 °F) in January. The coldest water here is about 14 °C (57 °F), so pack a 7 mm suit with a hood, or a semi-dry.
Dive types & marine life
Turtles are seen most often at La Piscina, where large shoals of bogue are also common. Eagle rays live around the island, and schools of barracuda, amberjack and tuna come with the Atlantic upwellings.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Drift
- Sea turtles
- Groupers
- Eagle rays
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Reef fish swarms
Best dive sites in Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar
- 1
Pecio San Andrés
Iron-framed steamer lost in 1856 in strong easterly winds; bow, bridge, boilers and paddle wheels remain.
- 2
La Piscina
Buoyed reef on the island's east side, anchored in 15 m, named for sandy pools among the rocks at about 8 m.
- 3
Las Gorgonias
A 70 m steamer sunk in 1928 near Los Lances beach, covered in numerous gorgonians.
- 4
El placer del macro
Atlantic-side rocky walls and overhangs, rich in nudibranchs and corals; suits photographers.
- 5
La Pared
Wall dive along large walls covered in corals, where lobsters, morays and snappers are common.
- 6
El Boquete
Small cave in the island's wall near the San Andrés buoy, full of crustaceans and seen against the light.
Site guides
Reef
A grotto rock at 5–14 m that shelters lobsters and rays
Wall
Sand pools at 8 m under a wall worked from 15 up to 9 m
Wreck
Three boilers still standing in an early-1900s wreck at 8–20 m
Wreck
A steamer on its side under gorgonian growth, at 18–31 m
Wreck
An upright steamer at 28 m with rudder and propeller visible
Wreck
An 1856 steamship broken across the bottom from 22 m to 30 m
Reef
Shore-accessible rock from 0 to 18 m over a Phoenician port
Roman grinding stones and amphorae at the foot of a 40 m point
Anchors from several centuries along a 14–35 m rock run
How to get to Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar
The nearest airports are Gibraltar, 35 minutes by road, Jerez de la Frontera at 1 hour and Málaga at 1½ hours; Tangier in Morocco is a 1-hour ferry journey from Tarifa.
Photos from Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar
Pablo Forcén Soler (Forcy) · Public domain
Łukasz Ciesielski - Guma89 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions divers ask
Which certification do Tarifa boat trips require?+
The minimum is PADI Open Water Diver, FEDAS 1 Star or an equivalent entry-level card, and the trips expect some experience. The two wrecks, San Andrés and Las Gorgonias, are for advanced divers only.
Which side of the island do the boats dive?+
It depends on the wind. With the easterly levante the boats dive the western side of the island, and with a westerly wind the eastern side; the exact site is decided on the spot.
What exposure protection is needed in Tarifa?+
Full wetsuits with a hood and gloves are advised, even in summer when the air in the south of Spain is hot.
Sources
- Diving Trips | Diving Sites | Diving in Tarifa — YellowSub Tarifa
- Pecio del San Andres — YellowSub Tarifa
- Pecio de las Gorgonias — YellowSub Tarifa
- Scuba diving – Tarifa — Tarifa Travel
- Diving at GoDive - Diving in Tarifa — Volare Sub
- Tarifa - Diving With Nic — Diving With Nic
- Puntos de inmersión — León Marino Buceo Tarifa
- La Piscina — León Marino Buceo Tarifa
- La Piscina — Scubago
- Tarifa — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A stone military outpost stands in turquoise water off Isla de las Palomas, with hills across the strait beyond. by Karan Jain from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rocky breakwater above a turquoise beach curving toward Tarifa's town and hills. by Pablo Forcén Soler (Forcy), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Wide golden-hour view of Tarifa town and its castle seen across the beach from Cape Punta Tarifa. by Łukasz Ciesielski - Guma89, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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