Location
36°43'09"N 3°43'38"W

Difficulty/Precautions
High.

Depth
Depth maximum 40m, with an average depth of 35m.

Access
From boat.

Estimated duration
25 minutes.

Recommended climatic conditions
Light breeze (Force 3) better with the west than with the east.

In a first descent we reach about 6 m where the seabed is gravel with abundant algae. As we continue advancing and approach the wall of large stones caused by landslides from the mountains near the coast, we will leave Punta de la Mona on the right heading south.

At around 13 m deep we find the Cavern of the Virgin where the bottom is sandy.

It is very likely to encounter seahorses here.At around 13 m deep we find the Cavern of the Virgin where the bottom is sandy. This cavern with its orange corals and yellowish tones is home to a great diversity of kinglets, forkbeards and forkbeards. Once we reach 17 m depth we will notice a slight current, so in that case it is advisable for safety reasons to turn around, since the current is increasing.

In the pelagic zone we will find bogues. We found countless nudibranchs, numerous “anthias” and in the crevices, groupers, conger eels, moray eels and galateas. We found a large number of scorpionfish and octopuses. Hidden among the stones at a depth of 5 m we will find gobies and blennies, and in this area it will also be very common to find salemas, mojarras and bream. Starting in May, natural spectacles take place in which balls of silver fry flee from bonito and melva while the wrasses delight us with their courtship.

DIVE SUMMARY

The Punta de la Mona immersion, also known as the Cueva de La Virgen (because of the image of the Virgin of the Snows deposited there by divers), begins in the Southeast towards the cliffs of Punta de la Mona. It is a quiet area, sheltered from shallow currents and of low difficulty, very suitable for beginner divers.

ACCESS

Access from boat.

BIOTA

Communities and species. Wrens and brotolas. Bogas and nudibranchs. Groupers, conger eels, moray eels and galateas. Caprachos or rockfish, octopuses, salemas, mojarras and bream.

PERMISSIONS

No permits are needed to dive.

SECURITY

It is necessary to take more precautions than normally taken. The dive has a High difficulty level, due to the depth that can be reached and because it is an area exposed to currents and winds. It is better with the west than with the east.