Situated at the entrance to one of the world’s most intriguing natural crossroads, where the denser and saltier Mediterranean waters merge with the Atlantic Ocean currents, you will find a spectacular home to a huge diversity of marine life. Boasting natural reefs and over 35 wrecks, the coastline of Gibraltar, draws unto itself a divers paradise, where rays, octopus, moray eels, cuttlefish, schools of boxfish, pipefish, sunfish, bass, mullets, damselfish and anthias, to name but a few, will make your dive in Gibraltar one never to forget!
Diving in Gibraltar, has always been a favourite destination for all divers along the Costa del Sol, but has since grown to become world renowned for its incredible artificial reefs, a project started in the 1980s by the government of Gibraltar. Over the course of 10 years, dozens of boats in disuse, mostly cargo ships, were deliberately sunk in strategic points on Gibraltar’s coastline, the plan being to repopulate marine life. In return it would replenish the sea, generate more activities on the Rock, and increase tourism.
Gibraltar features one of the most spectacular underwater scenery in the world today, from anchors of Phoenician and Roman ships to admiralty artifacts lying amongst wrecks from World War 2 and even dating back to Napoleonic times, it truly is a divers playground.
Wreck enthusiasts can enjoy merchant and military shipwrecks, a Bristol Bombay monoplane bomber, the remains of an Italian midget submarine, a pile of Spanish cannons, and tons of deliberately sunken vessels. Catering for every level of diver, for novices up to experts, the artificial reef at Camp Bay alone has to be one of the best dive sites known to the peninsula.
There is a constant and vast water turnover from the oceans which means that you will enjoy a waterway simply teeming with sea life, finding caves and drop offs, caverns and artifacts. Lying only 25m from the shore, known as the 482, a 30m long Royal Navy barge, sits upright in 17m of water, waiting to be explored. Very close by, the Batty’s, a boat once used for transportation, rests on the sandy bottom, a mere 12m below the surface. It is about 40m in length and 6m in width. Of all the wrecks in Camp Bay, the Batty’s actually holds largest space to explore. And to think, these are only two of the over 35 possible wrecks to dive!
Seven sisters, another favourite is a series of rocky pinnacles that are situated near the shore and will suite both novice and experienced diver, offering them a breath taking variety of coral and other sea life, which is readily photographed and lends itself well to night diving.
There are various diving schools that will permit you to try out your new sport, give you on site lessons, and see to it that you have all the equipment you may need to safely dive the wrecks of Gibraltar. They feature dives for the beginner, the advanced and the very experienced open water diver, as well as wreck divers. They offer equipment rental so complete that all you need to bring with you when you arrive is a towel.
If you are, however an experienced diver and you would prefer to bring your own equipment with you, there is absolutely no restriction what so ever in bringing your own diving equipment along with you.
For the beginner diver there is everything available to you from “trying a dive” type lessons to advanced instruction when you feel comfortable with your skills. Obtaining your qualifications in scuba diving in Gibraltar can be easily accomplished. There are three types of certifications available for those who would like to try diving instruction, including NAUI, PADI or BSAC.
On that note, diving in Gibraltar has also become an ideal site for DSD (Discover Scuba Diving -- Try dives) allowing divers to get a taste of the action from as young as 10 years of age. (Children under the age of 14 cannot dive deeper than 12m since the legislation of PADI.)
Don’t miss the chance to view underwater Gibraltar by at least taking a few lessons and diving in the novice category to see what the undersea side of Gibraltar holds. You won’t regret taking the opportunity to dive Gibraltar.
For instructions on obtaining a dive permit or any other information related to diving in Gibraltar, please contact the Department of the Environment Heritage and Climate Change:
info.environment@gibraltar.gov.giPLEASE NOTE:
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