Roquetas de Mar, Andalusia, Spain

Roquetas de Mar

Roquetas de Mar is the long sheltered beach south of Almeria city and a popular Mediterranean training destination. The dive sites along the coast are shallow, between 8 and 18 metres on a sand bottom interrupted by low rocky outcrops and a small artificial reef of concrete modules deployed by the regional government in the 2000s as fishery protection. The sand bottom hosts the typical Andalusian fauna of common cuttlefish in winter, octopus, electric torpedo rays, common stingrays and small flatfish, while the rocky outcrops shelter scorpionfish, painted comber, ornate wrasse and the occasional dusky grouper. Visibility is moderate at 10 to 15 metres and currents are normally negligible. Although not a wildlife showcase, the site is a reliable benchmark training dive of the Costa de Almeria, well served by certified centres in the resort area. The Andalusian Mediterranean coast covers the Alboran Sea, the boundary between Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, and benefits from the inflow of cooler Atlantic surface water that supports a mixed fauna unique in the basin. Water temperature ranges from 14 C in February to 25 C in August. Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park and the Maro-Cerro Gordo natural area are the two principal MPAs, and dive operators run from Almeria, La Herradura and Roquetas de Mar.