Not very known yet in Andalucia, but becoming more popular is scuba diving. Although you will find diving centers along the whole coast, some places are better for diving than others.

Starting in the east, in the province of Almería, Cabo de Gata (a Natural Park) is a very pretty place to dive. While diving in the Mediterranean Sea, underwater you can expect coral, invertebrates, conger eels, moray eels, sunfishes, barracudas, seahorses and lobsters. In summer the water temperature is quite pleasant, about 22 ºC. There are a few diving centers in this area, for example Diving Center Branquias, located in the village of Carboneras. This Center offers guided boat dives in the northern area of The Natural Park of Cabo de Gata and in the San Andres Island (a Natural Monument). One dive with own equipment costs 20 €, 2 dives 40€. Extra costs for full rental equipment are 13 €. They also offer courses, from beginners to Divemaster. More information: www.branquias.com.

A bit more to the west, in the province of Granada, the waters close to Nerja are pretty for diving. Here you can find octopus, conger eels, moray eels, groupers, lobsters and scorpion fish. Water temperature in summer is about 20 ºC. One of the various diving centers in this area is Buceo Costa Nerja. They organize boat dives with guide and have their dive sites between Maro and Cerro Gordo, a protected natural park called Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo. Other dive sites they visit are in Herradura, Punta de la Mona and Marina de Este. One dive with own equipment costs 35 €, 2 dives 70 € (with full rental equipment 50 € and 100 €). For more information: www.nerjadiving.com.

Although most tourists prefer to stay in the Malaga province, close to Marbella, the conditions for diving here are unfortunately not so great. The visibility can be really bad, and the quantity and quality of marine life is poor. If you really want to go diving around Marbella there are some diving centers, but for good diving better go east or west, it’s certainly worth the trip.

Further to the west, in Gibraltar you’ll also find some very nice dive sites. Especially wreck diving is popular here. There are lots of diving centers who offer boat dives, but it’s also possible to do some dives yourself without guide, from the beach. Only annoyance is that you have to cross the Spanish-English border which can take some time, and that you have to declare your dive equipment, both to the Spanish and English customs, on the way in and the way out.

In the west of Andalucia, in the province of Cadiz, Tarifa is the best place to dive. The dives here take place around the island of Tarifa, Isla de las Palomas, a Natural Park. The visibility is always good, there are a few pretty wrecks to visit and there’s an abundant selection of aquatic life like octopus, moray eels, conger eels, spider crabs, lobsters, hermit crabs, rays, sunfish and if you’re really lucky even a turtle. Because of the nearness of the Atlantic Ocean, the water is a bit colder than in the east of Andalucia; about 16 degrees (winter and summer). Although it is possible to do a dive from the beach here, officially it’s not allowed. Reason for this is the unexpected and strong current in this area. So for your own safety, you better dive with one of the local diving centers, for example Yellowsub Tarifa. This center offer boat dives with guides and courses from beginners to Divemaster. One dive with own equipment costs 26 €, 2 dives 45 € (45 € and 75 € with full rental equipment). For more information: www.yellowsubtarifa.com.