Tarragona · Spain · Reef
La Cathedrale
A cathedral-shaped rock at 22–24 m where the groupers are always around
Area photo: User:Vmenkov · CC BY-SA 3.0
An extension of the El Brut reef off Torredembarra, named for an underwater rock structure shaped like a cathedral and lying at an average of 22–24 m. The extra depth over the neighbouring sites pays off in the residents: lobster and conger eels in the rock, and groupers that are always around.
Also known as La Catedral.
Where it is and how deep
41.1473° N, 1.4480° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is an extension of El Brut, the neighbouring reef off Torredembarra, and it sits at an average of 22–24 m — deeper than the sites around it, which changes both the character of the dive and its residents. You descend onto the reef and make for the structure that names the site: a rock formation in the shape of a cathedral, the landmark around which the dive is organised.
The depth is the draw. Being deeper than the other sites in the vicinity makes this a reliable spot for lobster and conger eels tucked into the rock, and groupers are always around as well. It is a dive to take at a steady level rather than a multi-depth tour — the reef runs at its 22–24 m average throughout — before you leave the structure and ascend.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Tarragona: Sea temperature falls below 14 °C from December to March and passes 24 °C from June to September, the practical shoulder of the local season.
Sources
- Scubago — La Cathedrale — Scubago
- OdySea — Torredembarra dive centre home page — OdySea
More dive sites in Tarragona
Small caves and walls at 9 m off the Salou headland
Wreck
Tarragona's signature wreck dive, an 18 m ship a few minutes from the quay
Wreck
A Luftwaffe He 111 bomber at 30 m, with a resident conger named Sam
Wall
A 10-to-26 m vertical wall at the tip of the port breakwater
Wreck
A burned wooden steamer on sand at 16–17 m, dived at Open Water level
Pinnacle
A lone rock pinnacle on sand, circled by seabream and salema
Artificial reef
Concrete corridors at 14 m, minutes from the Port of Tarragona
Similar dives elsewhere
A 40 m canyon at the end of a 5 to 20 m drop-off
Pearly razorfish over the sand below the Norman castle
An island wall from 2 m to 18 m over posidonia meadow
Fields of white gorgonians on a bank closed to fishing