Reef
down to 12 m
Cala Fría
A favourite shore dive just below the Cabo de Palos lighthouse, to 12 m, with octopus, scorpionfish and nudibranchs.
- Open Water
- Nudibranchs
Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas
Diving in Spain
12 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for dentex, tuna and amberjacks.
- Best months
- Aug–Oct
- Water
- 16–26 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced, Technical
- Nearest airport
- RMU
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas in October
Best season- Sea
- 23 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 25 °C
- 18 °C at night
- Rain
- 40 mm
- average for the year
- Wind
- 11 km/h
- on average
Exposure suit: 3 mm full suit · if you feel the cold: 5 mm full suit. How we choose
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Dived all year (water about 16 °C in winter to 26 °C in late summer); May–Oct is the most comfortable period, and Aug–Oct often brings bait balls that draw tuna, dentex and jacks.
Dive sites in Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Diving in the Cabo de Palos – Islas Hormigas marine reserve needs an authorisation for a specific date, granted until the daily quota of dives and boats is filled; in low season the reserve is open only on Fridays, weekends and holidays.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m2 sitesFor Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m4 sitesFor experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m4 sitesWreck
down to 60 m
Bajo de Fuera
A 100 m ridge rising from 55 m to 3 m beneath the surface, regarded by many as one of the best dives in the Mediterranean.
- Experienced
- Amberjacks
Pinnacle
down to 50 m
Bajo de Dentro
- Experienced
Wreck
down to 46 m
Naranjito (Isla Gomera wreck)
- Experienced
- Mola mola (sunfish)
Technical and specialty dives
2 sitesWreck
down to 44 m
Carbonero wreck
- Technical
- Mola mola (sunfish)
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DentexSource: murciatoday.com | ||||||||||||
| TunaSource: murciatoday.com | ||||||||||||
| AmberjacksSource: murciatoday.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Dentex: Aug–Oct. Tuna: Aug–Oct. Amberjacks: Aug–Oct
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Barracuda
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
- Scorpionfish
- Groupers
- Moray eels
- Rays
- Mola mola (sunfish)
Where is Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas?
- Nearest airport
- RMU
Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas?
- The best months to dive Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas are Aug–Oct. Dived all year (water about 16 °C in winter to 26 °C in late summer); May–Oct is the most comfortable period, and Aug–Oct often brings bait balls that draw tuna, dentex and jacks.
- Is Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 2 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Cala Fría and Bajo del Descargador. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas?
- The water is usually between 16 °C and 26 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas?
- Divers regularly see dentex (Aug–Oct), tuna (Aug–Oct), amberjacks (Aug–Oct), barracuda, nudibranchs and octopus.
- How do you dive Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas?
- The nearest airport is RMU.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash