Tarragona · Spain · Pinnacle
La Islita
A lone rock pinnacle on sand, circled by seabream and salema
Area photo: User:Vmenkov · CC BY-SA 3.0
An isolated rocky pinnacle rising from sandy seabed off the Tarragona coast, dived to 17 m at Open Water level. Its walls, cracks and small drop-offs give the dive its shape: schools of seabream and salema circle the rock, octopus, moray eels and cuttlefish hide in the crevices, and nudibranchs reward a slow pass along the stone.
Also known as La Isla, The Island.
Where it is and how deep
41.1040° N, 1.2489° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a single rocky pinnacle surrounded by sandy seabed, dived to a maximum of 17 m, so navigation takes care of itself: you drop near the rock and work your way around it. Its walls, cracks and small drop-offs break the circuit into a dynamic route with something to look into at every stage, and the surrounding sand makes the rock easy to keep in sight throughout.
The rock concentrates the fish. Schools of seabream, saddled seabream and salema move around the pinnacle, while the cracks hold the hiders — octopus, moray eels and cuttlefish tucked among the stones. On the walls themselves, nudibranchs and crustaceans give the dive a macro layer for anyone moving slowly, until you complete the circuit and ascend beside the rock.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- 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 Isla — Scubago
- Mar de Hielo — Tarragona dive booking site — Club de Buceo Mar de Hielo
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
Reef
A cathedral-shaped rock at 22–24 m where the groupers are always around
Artificial reef
Concrete corridors at 14 m, minutes from the Port of Tarragona
Similar dives elsewhere
Underwater mountain five minutes out of Blanes port
A shoal from 24 m of sand up to 3 m below the surface
Maze-like rock stacks full of red sea fans to 40 m
Barracuda over a 2.5 m summit, gorgonians and a 2005 wreck below