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The second tower was the cargo station where cargo ships were loaded. It is standing on a hill which ranges from 6 - 11 m in depth. Underwater on the tower’s walls there is a lot to see. Small conger and moray eels, different types of crabs, nudybranchs and so on can be found in cracks and holes. On the upper side of the hill, in only 6 metres of depth, is the home of both octopus and brittle stars. On the sea bed at a depth of 11 metres you can find some of the tower’s segments broken off. These are up to 30 metres long. Even here a lot of marine life can be found. At this dive site there are always schools of wrasses.
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Wrecks Marbella
Very close to "Torre Marbella" there are 3 wrecks quite close to each other at a depth of only 11 metres. Here you can access the site either by boat or a shore dive. Two of the wrecks are old cargo ships with steel bodies. They have a length of about 60 metres each. The third wreck is a smaller sail boat which is decomposing quite quickly. The engines of the cargo ships, and a nicely covered propeller with a diameter of about 2 metres, are present at this site. The sail boat wreck is in rather good shape but is broken into two pieces. The rail and the bridge are intact and quite impressive. In general there is a lot of marine life to explore in and around the wrecks. |
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Barco antiguo (antique ship)
Only a 10 minute drive away from the dive centre lie the remains of an ancient ship. It is a mere 150 metres off the shore at a depth of 5-6 metres. The locals call it the "Galeón" which means galley and they tell us that the cannons were stolen years ago. According to research carried out by PRO DIVE Marbella the wreck is the French galley “Lys”. This sank in 1703 after being set alight by the French army themselves whilst escaping from the Spanish. Nobody was killed and the French army fled towards Marbella.
Today there are the remains of the wooden hull and some of the frame. The length of the wreck is an impressive 60 - 70 metres. The whole wreck is covered by marine plants and animals. Schools of wrasses and the Mediterranean trigger fish can be frequently sighted here. Furthermore, a rich sample of Costa Del Sol marine life seems to be concentrated here. In terms of both variety and concentration of marine life Barco antiguo is one of PRO DIVE Marbella`s most interesting dive sites. For this reason and its shallow location, it is also the favourite dive site of the "diving kids". |
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Tubo (Pipe)
Tubo is a pipe with a diameter of approximately two metres which runs from the beach to a depth of 25 metres. PRO DIVE Marbella is accomplishing different types of dives at this large site. One dive starts at the beach and continues until a depth of about 10 metres. Correspondingly the dive site’s name is
Tubo beach. Close to shore the pipe enters the sea bed and cannot be viewed. It appears again at approx. 3 metres in depth and is completely visible at around 6 metres. The seabed around the pipe is rocky and therefore a lot of fish can be seen.
Rich marine life will primarily be found hiding away under the pipe. Here you can find conger eels, small spider crabs, other types of crabs, scorpion fish, etc.
Boat dives are also carried out at this site. One such dive at Tubo begins at around 12 - 13 metres, taking divers to a maximum of about 20 metres. The pipe is completely different here to its shore end. At this range of depth conger eels are frequently sighted, as are the occasional moray eel, a great deal of "false coral" and some huge spider crabs. Thousands of scorpion fish sit around the pipe and therefore the dive site could be renamed "scorpion fish city". On the upper side of the pipe there are sea slugs, some different types of sea fans and soft corals. At a depth range of 20 - 25 metres the dive site’s appearance changes dramatically. This area of the site is called Tubo 25. Here big sea fan and soft coral can be seen growing on top of the pipe. As conger eels, spider crabs and scorpion fish are rare big "Greater Forkbeard" can be found. With a little bit of luck tuna or cat fish can be seen. Several times the very rare "Astropartus mediterraneus" has been seen here. This is a seastar with a typical shape normally found at a depth of more than 30 metres.
Punto Atalaya and Arrecife
West of Estepona in the direction of Gibraltar, the Costa del Sol starts to become very rocky. The dives at this part of the coast are largely situated off the beach. They consist mainly of under water landscapes, cañons and interesting rock formations. "Sea fingers" and "Green Bonellia" can be found at a depth of only 6 metres.
Punto Atalaya is quite a large dive site offering many opportunities. The under water landscape is dominated by rock formations which are up to 6-7 m high. Between the rocks patches of sand can be found.
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| Arrecife, which means “reef”, can be only dived by the more experienced divers. The actual dive site is about 300 metres off the shore line. In order to retain enough air for the dive itself the site must be accessed by a surface swim. From the shore the dive site can only be viewed at low tide, when the rocks break on the surface. Once the site is reached you will descend to about 7 metres to the east of the rock formation that breaks the surface. Here you will find a small wall thoroughly covered by very pretty glowing orange corals. Continuing you will dive through swim-throughs and pass 5-6 m high rock formations. At the latest you should start to return to shore when you have a “half-tank”. |
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Sierra
Sierra is located approx. 6 km west of Estepona in the direction of Gibraltar. Sites are accessed by boat. The new dive site is already a famous place for local day excursions. The depth is from 15 to 25 metres. Big rocks as high as 8 - 10 metres create mountains under the water. Deep valleys, overhanging rocks and swim throughs dominate the dives. The rocks are covered with colourful sponges, hydroids and interesting sea squirts. Some walls are completely covered with orange star coral.
Different kinds of large sea fans can also be found. Sea fingers grow here individually and in colonies. Furthermore, large spiny spider crabs, a great variety of sea slugs, green bonellia, and a lot more can be discovered at this dive site.
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