Mazo, Canary Islands, Spain

La Salemera (La Palma)

La Salemera is a small natural harbour on the eastern side of La Palma, in the municipality of Mazo, used historically as a fishermen's haul-out and now one of the more reliable shore dives of the island. Entry is over a sheltered black sand cove and the bottom drops gradually from 6 metres on the inshore boulders to 30 metres on the outer rock face. The site is named after the dense schools of salema that gather above the rocks. Marine life follows the typical Canarian Atlantic pattern: large schools of bastard grunt, broomtail and ornate wrasse, Atlantic damselfish, octopus, common moray eels, large parrotfish and the occasional electric torpedo ray on the sand. The protected angel shark, a Canarian flagship, is reported on sand patches between rocks during winter. Visibility is consistent around 25 metres and currents are normally weak. The Canary Islands sit on the eastern edge of the Atlantic and benefit from the cool, nutrient-rich Canary Current that flows south along Africa, keeping water temperatures between 18 C in late winter and 23 C in late summer and supporting a mixed Atlantic and macaronesian fauna with confirmed Canarian endemics. The archipelago is the last reliable European stronghold of the angel shark Squatina squatina, classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, and dive operators contribute regular sightings to the Angel Shark Project monitoring programme. Local dive centres operate year round and most sites can be accessed with one short boat or shore transfer.