13 Dives in Cabo de Gata: under the sea there are also views

The plumber and the scuba diver do not have the same opinion of water. The first lives off of it and the second dies without it. The diver is shipwrecked on dry land, but in the depths he feels so safe that he is able to challenge the Little Mermaid in a hundred-meter butterfly.

Cabo de Gata is the largest maritime-terrestrial protected area in the Mediterranean. The cataloging is deserved. With an area of 50 kilometers, this cliffed coast is beautiful on the outside and dazzling on the inside: its seabed is almost more beautiful than its beaches.

Under these waters you will find a great diversity of species. The best of the Mediterranean fauna and flora is concentrated in this place, where caves, underwater grottos and reefs abound. Even a shipwreck adorns this seascape with distinction.

If yours are Adventure activities and the diving suit is your second skin, in Cabo de Gata we teach you, from north to south, 13 beaches and coves of Almería to find a thousand ways to wet it:

1. Island of San Andres

Right in front of La Puntica beach, in Carboneras, stands the island of San Andrés, of volcanic origin, classified as a Natural Monument. It can be reached from the ports of Agua Amarga and Carboneras.

In reality, it is the sum of two islets, which serve Isla Grande and Isla Chica. In its seabed you can find groupers, croakers, cuttlefish, octopuses and crabs. They walk over the Posidonia meadows, grass of the sea and source of life.

The little ones in the house can learn more about this important aquatic plant with this snorkeling and ecotourism activity in Cabo de Palos.

Keep in mind that, to immerse yourself in the dark waters of San Andrés, you will need to request authorization from the Junta de Andalucía, since you are in a protected area. Ah, don't be surprised if during your visit you see sea birds, especially at snack time.

2. Chocholita Wreck

Near Carboneras, a mile out to sea from Las Martinicas beach, you can dive to see the Chocholita, a steamship destroyed by a hurricane that cut short its journey on April 12, 1927. The ship or wreck has rested on a rock since then. sandy bed about 10 meters deep.

Among its remains, numerous marine squatters have established themselves: octopuses, groupers, haddocks and castanets among others.

3. Los Muertos Beach

Don't let the name scare you, you won't come across any extra from The Walking Dead. They call it the beach of the dead because the sea currents abandoned the bodies of those drowned in shipwrecks on its shore. And, probably, also the corpses of the victims of the clashes with pirates coming from North Africa.

Los Muertos beach is one of the most famous in Cabo de Gata. In some years, it has even taken the title of being the best beach in Spain. Access to it, however, is not easy. You will have to leave your car in the parking lot on the road that connects Bitter water with Carboneras.

From there, you will descend a somewhat steep slope the 700 meters to the sea. During the descent you may see a chameleon, or even partridges and foxes.

In the crystalline waters of this beach, capable of competing for the title of Miss Transparente with those of the Caribbean, you will find a great variety of animal and plant species, hidden among small caves and grottoes.

Get close to the rock at the end of the beach, where the largest number of corals and aquatic plants are concentrated.

A piece of advice: don't dive with an easterly wind. It is dangerous.

4. Cala de Enmedio

A path that starts from the town of Agua Amarga and ends in the Enmedio cove. That is the path that connects with this beach, with a rocky structure, formed by fossilized dunes sculpted by the waves, in the shape of tongues that extend into the sea.

Its rocky bottoms, very rich in biodiversity, make it the ideal place for diving.

If you feel like it, after visiting the seabed, continue along the same path to two coves worth a visit: San Pedro Cove, considered one of the best coves in Spain, and the Plomo cove.

5. Crow's Point

In Cuervo cove, half an hour from the town of Black ones, is this natural rock wall that houses a large amount of marine fauna.

To get there, drive along the road that leaves the Las Negras campsite towards the south. Once there, dive with caution and enjoy without it the species that hide in its sandy bottoms.

If you don't dare to fully immerse yourself, you can also enjoy a quiet snorkeling trip in Las Negras to learn about the fauna that moves on the surface.  

6. Carnaje Cove

El Carnaje is a cove wild, disheveled, as if she had just woken up. If you approach it, don't expect to find fine sand on which to lie down and sunbathe; but rather with volcanic rocks and boulders.

On the other hand, there will be few bathers and you will be able to immerse yourself in total tranquility to admire the Posidonia meadows under its waters.

To get to Carnaje from Rodalquilar you have to take a detour that goes out to the right, where both this cove and the Polacra lighthouse are signposted.

Halfway down the track forks; leading you to the right towards Cala del Carnaje and to the left towards the Polacra lighthouse. This last stretch towards the lighthouse is usually fenced, so if you want to visit it after swimming it will have to be on foot.

You will also have to walk the last few meters to the cove. Small groups of palm trees will let you know that you are near the water.

The cove is presided over by the Wolf Hill, on which stands one of the numerous towers of Cabo de Gata.

7. Cala del Toro

To get to this cove you will have to go through an authentic forest in the desert.

La Cala del Toro is located between La Isleta del Moro and Rodalquilar. It cannot be accessed by car, so you will have to leave it on one of the sides of the road, and continue on foot along a boulevard that runs between palm trees, pines and palmettos.

In about fifteen minutes you will have reached the small valley where the cove opens, fine dark sand. Its bottoms are home to a multitude of fish, among which the grouper stands out.

Just 750 meters from the place where you left the car, is the La Amatista viewpoint. It is worth going there to admire the views of the cliffs over the sea of Cabo de Gata.

In the distance, you will see the Cerro de Los Frailes, the highest in the Natural Park, a vestige of an ancient volcano.

8. French Cave

This cave is located halfway along the coast, between La Isleta and San José. It is only possible to reach it by boat.

It is one of the classic underwater routes of the diving centers of both towns.

In this small cave, surrounded by Posidonia grasses, bream, moray eels, pollock, octopuses, rockfish and wrasses hide. Bring a flashlight to light your adventure.

9. Punta de La Isleta

If you like calm, observe the life of the fishermen of Cabo de Gata on La Isleta del Moro. This small coastal town, with low, white houses, is economically linked to the sea, either for fishing or for its two diving learning centers.  

La Isleta beach is an ideal option for those who want to get started in this activity. Immerse yourself in La Punta, a space of posidonia, sand and rock, where you can find schools of fingerlings, moray eels and conger eels. And if you're lucky, even seahorses.

Inland, from La Isleta del Moro, is the Piedra de los Meros. This impressive 26 meter high rock shelters conger eels, moray eels, brotolas, haddock and croaker. In addition to the fish that gives it its name.

The excursion is recommended only for advanced level divers, due to its depth.

Do you want to become one of them? Get it by doing this eco-initiation course in open water diving in Alicante.

10. The Sculptures

From the same road that reaches La Isleta del Moro, you can access Los Escullos. Before reaching the beach, turn right along the path indicated on a sign.

The underwater tour begins with a corridor in which you can see, on one side, a rocky bottom, and on the other, a blanket of Posidonia.

In front of Los Escullos is the Restinga de las Anclas, a two-meter-high wall, possibly formed as a result of the collision of two plates.

Bring your flashlight and underwater camera to photograph groupers, conger eels, moray eels and hermits. Also the anchor that gives it its name, covered in posidonia.

11.CFig tree wing

It is a small stony cove, which is reached by a dirt road that starts from the San José campsite. It has almost no sand, which explains why it is not the favorite of bathers. For divers, however, it is an ideal option that allows them to share the bottom with pollock, bream and mullet.

It is also usually frequented by fishermen, who cast their rods at dusk. So you better be out of the water already during twilight.

12. The yellow ones

You can reach Los Amarillos Cove on foot from the Genoveses beach parking lot.

Its name is due to the color given to it by the volcanic rocks of the cliffs that surround it. It is also known as Donkey Beach, due to the triggerfish that live among its rocks.

In addition to these specimens, you can find groupers, croakers, brotolas, moray eels, cuttlefish and octopuses. You may also see some hermit crabs or cleaner shrimp.

As on Los Muertos beach, you must be careful when diving into the currents.

13. The half Moon

On the border of the Natural Park, next to Cabo de Gata, you will find the most natural beaches in the area.

La Media Luna is a small crescent-shaped cove with sandy bottoms, which makes it difficult to spot the fauna. Even so, be sure to visit it to admire its desert landscape, modeled in perfect dunes.

To get there you just have to follow the same dirt track on foot that leads to the beaches of Genoveses and Mónsul.

This area of the Mediterranean, beyond the cape, begins to be known as the Alboran Sea. Don't miss the opportunity to get to know him in depth with this diving baptism activity in Cabo de Gata.

What road is the one that leads to Cabo de Gata?

In football, the ball is more important than Messi. In the sea, sea bream is more relevant than water. Without fauna, the sea would be nothing more than a full bathtub. And nobody dives in a bathtub. The diver who chooses the road that heads towards Cabo de Gata knows that his seabed is the Mediterranean savannah.

Go ahead and tell us what you see!