Arinaga, Canary Islands, Spain

El Cabron Marine Reserve

El Cabron Marine Reserve, declared in 2001 along the eastern shore of Gran Canaria south of Arinaga, protects roughly 700 hectares of rocky coast and is consistently rated the richest dive site of the island. The terrain is a labyrinth of basalt arches, swim-throughs, gullies, caves and small canyons running from the shore to depths of 30 metres or more. Because it has been fully protected from spear fishing for two decades, fish biomass and average size are markedly higher than in unprotected zones. Divers commonly see large dusky groupers, broomtail and ornate wrasse, salema schools that fill entire archways, barracuda, eagle rays gliding along the deeper ledges and occasional angel sharks on sand patches. Nudibranchs are abundant on the cooler north-facing walls. The area has at least eight named entry points along the cliff and shore diving with a four-wheel-drive transfer is common. Visibility is normally above 20 metres.