El Río

This site is located on the northeastern side of the wall created by the lava formation of La Restinga, so we only need to navigate 2 minutes to the east, just outside the Marine Reserve.

This dive is defined by the initial diving through the empty channel of a lava river that originates on land and submerges to depths of 30 meters. We will pass through canyons on the way back to the boat, exploring rock formations with large deep crevices sheltering many species hiding at depths between 15 and 5 meters.

El Rio hosts all kinds of fauna along its course. In the channel we will come across, there are Ornate Wrasses, Dogfish, Seabreams,Triggerfish, Grouper, Yellow Cowbreams, Parrotfish, Moray Eels, Groupers, Thornback Rays, and different types of rays flying back and forth. The canyons on the way back have the particular feature of long, tunnel-like caverns with hard-to-reach ends hiding huge Herrenian Lobsters.

Because it is located on the east side of the island, just outside the boundaries of the Marine Reserve of Mar de las Calmas, these dives can only be done if wind and waves allow, as this area of the island is not protected against the Trade Winds. With good weather conditions, access is very easy from the boat, and underwater visibility is usually between 10 and 30 meters.

For this diving spot, no special certification is required; both beginners and advanced divers can do it without any problem since it is not necessary to descend more than 20 meters deep.