Tenerife · Spain · Pinnacle
El Bajonito
A pinnacle from 13 to 45 m with at least two routes on it
A pinnacle half a mile west of Marina San Miguel, standing in the middle of a protected bay and running from 13 metres down to 45. It is wide enough to carry at least two explorable routes. Shoals of barracuda hold over the rock, eagle rays and stingrays cross the ground around it, and moray eels, octopus and nudibranchs fill in the detail.
Where it is and how deep
28.0117° N, 16.6293° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a single pinnacle sitting in the middle of a protected bay, half a mile west of Marina San Miguel, running from 13 metres at the top to 45 at the bottom. It is wide enough that there are at least two explorable routes on it, so which dive you get depends on where the boat drops you and how deep the plan goes — the crown and the deep flank are effectively different dives.
Big shoals of barracuda and roncadores are the headline, with bonito and tuna over the deeper rock and eagle rays and stingrays crossing the ground around the base. On the pinnacle itself there are moray eels of several species, octopus, nudibranchs, anemones and lobsters, with dentex and porgies holding on the structure. Working up the rock rather than off it gives the shallow half of the dive to the crown, which is where the shoals are easiest to sit under.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Tuna
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Tenerife: Divable all year in 18–25°C water; Jun–Oct is warmest and calmest, and winter swell mainly affects the north coast.
Know before you go
- On the tide excursion around new and full moon the site can carry mild current, so check the state of the tide before planning a route across the deeper flank.
Questions divers ask
How deep is El Bajonito?+
The pinnacle runs between 13 and 45 metres, and it is wide enough to carry at least two different routes, so the depth you actually dive depends on which one the guide picks.
Sources
- El Bajonito - Scubago — Scubago (SSI MyDiveGuide)
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