Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar · Spain · Reef
La Garita
A grotto rock at 5–14 m that shelters lobsters and rays
Area photo: Karan Jain from Washington, DC, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
La Garita is the shallow dive at the northeast corner of Isla de Tarifa, named for the watchtower above it and reachable from the beach as well as by boat. It starts at 5–6 m near Playa Chica and the causeway to the island and works out to 12–14 m. A rock with a grotto under it is the landmark, usually holding lobsters, rays, conger eels and shrimp.
Also known as Playa - La Garita, La Piedra del Bogavante.
Where it is and how deep
36.0053° N, 5.6072° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Entry is from the beach beside the causeway out to the island, or from the boat. The first section is shallow, 5–6 m of rock and sand near Playa Chica, and the profile only works out to a maximum of 12–14 m. YellowSub calls it an easy site close to the beach and runs its try-dives and Open Water confined-water exercises on it, which is the measure of how settled the water is here compared with the rest of the strait.
The landmark is the rock the site's second name comes from: a boulder with a grotto under it that usually holds lobsters, along with rays, conger eels, shrimp and a good deal else. Around it are weeverfish on the sand, damselfish, snapper and pipefish, with barracuda passing occasionally. The garita, the watchtower on the island's northeast corner, sits above all of it and gives the site its usual name.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar: August to October holds the warmest water; visibility does not track it, and the strait's funnelled Levante and Poniente winds can stop boats in any month.
Sources
- Playa - La Garita — Scubago
- Playa - La Garita — León Marino Buceo Tarifa
- Playa - La Garita — YellowSub Tarifa
More dive sites in Tarifa & the Strait of Gibraltar
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A false ceiling right around a 10 m shoal off Corralejo
Easy 2-metre entry, small wreck off the point
Lesson ground in 2 to 7 m, straight off the dive centre
Shore-entry reef at 7-8 m, the local beginner and refresher dive