El Mirador

El Mirador — the Lookout — is a beginner dive in northern Fuerteventura near Corralejo, named for the elevated position or viewpoint quality of its reef formation: a section of volcanic basalt that provides the diver with a panoramic perspective over the surrounding underwater landscape, using the natural topography of the reef to create the elevated vantage point that the lookout name implies. The Corralejo dive zone in northern Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands' most productive diving areas, the proximity of the El Rio channel and the Lobos Islet providing the clear, nutrient-rich water that supports excellent marine biodiversity at beginner-accessible depths. El Mirador's beginner rating reflects the manageable conditions of this well-established dive area: calm surface conditions typical of northern Fuerteventura's sheltered eastern coast, accessible depth range, and the well-developed dive infrastructure of Corralejo's multiple dive centres. The elevated section of reef that provides the mirador perspective rises from the surrounding seafloor in the manner of a natural viewing platform, its upper surface colonised by the grazing species that prefer the well-lit, algae-covered top of a prominent reef feature. The sides descend through the increasingly rich encrusting community that develops as depth increases: sponge colonies building on the mid-depth faces, anemone clusters on the sheltered ledge undersides, and the large moray eels that inhabit the crevices at the base of the formation. The viewpoint quality of El Mirador is most apparent when hovering above the elevated section of reef and looking outward: in Fuerteventura's typically clear northern water, the extended view of the surrounding seafloor is genuinely panoramic, with the sandy sections visible in the distance and schooling fish circling above the surrounding reef visible in their full three-dimensional patterns. Angel sharks rest on the sandy sections visible from this elevated vantage, and sea turtles forage through the surrounding reef. A pleasant beginner site with genuine visual perspective.