Tacorón (marine reserve)
Marine-reserve site – diving only with a licensed centre under the reserve permit. A relaxed dive in front of the Tacorón natural pools: descend off the point, where the rock is steepest, to flatter ground with sand patches around 20 m, and round the Roque de Tacorón. Loggerhead turtles are recorded occasionally and the large spiny porcupinefish under the pools are strictly protected on El Hierro. Depth range is indicative.
Facts
- Region: Canary Islands – West
- Area: El Hierro – La Restinga & Mar de las Calmas
- Depth: 10–20 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: reef, wall
- Coordinates: 27.67037, -18.02674 (approximate)
- Highlights: natural pools above, loggerhead turtle (occasional), spiny porcupinefish, sand patches with eels, algae-covered lava canyon
- Permit: Marine reserve (Punta de la Restinga – Mar de las Calmas): recreational diving only with an authorisation. For outer waters the MAPA Directorate-General for Sustainable Fisheries grants it, per calendar year to dive centres and per month to individuals, up to a limited daily quota of dives and boats. Divers need a recognised certification and a valid medical certificate, boats may be at most 10 m long, and each mooring buoy takes one boat with at most 12 divers. In practice dive with a licensed local centre. Check current rules with the La Restinga visitor centre.
- Issuer / contact: Secretaría General de Pesca (MAPA) – Reserva Marina Punta de la Restinga–Mar de las Calmas
- Phone: +34 922 557 188
- Email: reservasmarinas@mapa.es
- Website: https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/pesca/temas/proteccion-recursos-pesqueros/reservas-marinas-de-espana/la-restinga/informacion-de-interes
- Tips: Position approximate (offshore of the Cala de Tacorón natural pools).