Baja fría

Baja Fría is the last and furthermost site we normally sail to on the eastside of El Hierro, past the limit of the marine reserve of Mar de las Calmas, and no more than 30 minutes navigation from the port past the cape and to the north. The site we explore is the entire submerged part of the mountain formed by eruptions in this part of the island.

Its main feature is the landscape of cliffs that you can see underwater that are lost to view due to their more than 60 meters deep for most of the route. This dive site is among the most beautiful underwater landscapes in all of El Hierro, if not the best. Vertical walls that get lost in the abyss, rocky needles created by the wear of the elements on the mountain, impossible canyons and depressions where most of the life of this place is concentrated. Due to its small platform, pelagic animals pass very close to divers, so you have to be very attentive to the blue.

This dive site offers some of the best chances for spotting marine fauna. In its most outer side, we might see barracudas, and amberjacks, triggerfish and jacks, rays and if we are lucky enough, Mobula Rays between May to October, and even occasional sharks such as thresher sharks, blue sharks, or makos. In the shallower areas close to the platform, you can see seabreams, salemas, trumpetfish, parrotfish, saddled seabreams, pompano, damsels, wrasses, pufferfish, dogfish, octopus, shrimps, langoustines, lobsters, spiny starfish, anemones and nudis, and the peculiar yellow sponge widely covering parts of the mountain where, if you have a keen eye, you may find the tiny nudibranch (Tylodina Perversa) that hides and feeds on it.

Because it is situated on the eastern side of El Hierro, outside the Marine Reserve of Mar de las Calmas, these dives can only be conducted if wind dies down, as this area of the island is directly facing the trade winds. With good weather conditions, you get there easily by boat, and underwater visibility typically ranges between 10 and 30 meters.

Any diving certification is accepted at this site. Less experienced divers can complete the tour down to 18 or 20 meters deep and observe this marvel of underwater cliffs. Advanced certifications are allowed to descend to 30 meters where the wall is abundantly covered with black coral.