Tarifa and Cádiz are very close to each other
Tarifa, Spain is known for friendly people, great beaches, awesome windsurfing and excellent scuba diving. The sleepy little town, located in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, rests on the southwest Iberian Peninsula, close to where Spain and Africa almost touch. It is the most southern point of the European continent and the coast here is an amalgam of marshes, sand dunes, breath taking cliffs and extensive white sand beaches. Tarifa has an incredible geographic advantage for all sorts of aquatic enthusiasts. The Trade winds generate a constant breeze attracting kite surfers and sailboats from all over the world.
This region of Spain offers divers the chance to dive in the Atlantic AND in the Mediterranean all in the same day. It’s not uncommon for people to dive in the Atlantic in the morning (The Bay of Cádiz) and in the Mediterranean in the afternoon (east of Tarifa). A really cool dive site in Tarifa is Las Calles (The
A Lionfish in Tarifa waters
Streets) where an underwater labyrinth of meandering sand beds appear as sandy “streets.” Large surface breaching rocks serve as markers and attract all sorts of marine life such as spider crabs, stingray, lionfish, conger eels, and octopus. Shore entry access make the site ideal for beginners but keep an eye on the swift currents; the site is fairly shallow, 12-15 meters, and generally has 15-20 meter visibility.
After checking out the Mediterranean coast divers can head west to the Bay of Cádiz, which is only a 45 minute car ride away, and witness a completely different underwater environment which is full of historically valuable attractions. A plethora of wreck sites and archaeological remnants splattered throughout the waters carry testimony of 3,000 year old civilizations. One of the main attractions at the dive sites around the bay is the presence of archaeological treasures such as ceramic artwork, cannons and ammunition thanks to the sunken ships. Unfortunately, visibility in the bay sometimes is less than five meters due to the turbidity caused by the Gaudalete and San Pedro rivers which empty directly into the bay. A well
A sunken cannon in the Bay of Cádiz
known dive site in Cadiz is located in La Caleta which is home to one of the most pristine beaches in all Spain.
La Caleta is the Mecca for scuba divers who love swimming around historically important wrecks and sites. Since the time of the Phoenicians La Caleta has been used as a port which explains how so many ceramic fossils, Roman anchors and 18th century canons exist in abundance here in waters no deeper than 15 meters.
Here are a few dive operators for anyone interested in visiting Tarifa or the Bay of Cádiz:
Bay of Cádiz:
Inmersub Cádiz- +34 856 072 168
Club de Buceo Astaroth- +34 667 355 603
Tarifa:
YellowSub Tarifa- +34 956 680 680
Active Scuba Divers- +34 952 79 30 95