Playa del Cabrón

Playa del Cabrón is the beach that serves as the primary shore entry point for the legendary Reserva Marina de El Cabrón on Gran Canaria's east coast — the gateway through which divers pass to access one of Spain's most successful marine protected areas and one of Europe's finest dive sites. The beach itself is small, rocky, and unpretentious, but what lies beneath the surface from this entry point has made it a pilgrimage destination for divers from across Europe. The marine reserve that extends from Playa del Cabrón encompasses a section of rocky east-coast habitat where Atlantic upwelling creates the cold, nutrient-rich conditions that produce extraordinary biodiversity. The reserve's strict protection — no fishing, no extraction, limited diver access managed through registration — has allowed the marine community to develop to a density and health rarely seen in European coastal waters. The contrast between this reserve and unprotected sections of comparable coastline is striking and instructive. The dive begins in the rocky shallows off the beach, immediately entering the reserve's jurisdiction and its associated quality of marine life. The basalt formations here are densely colonised by the organisms that have accumulated under years of protection: sponge communities of impressive size and health, sea anemones in multiple species, and the invertebrate diversity — nudibranchs in particular are outstanding here — that rewards slow, observant diving with the close attention to the substrate that shore diving particularly enables. Angel sharks are the reserve's iconic encounter: resting on sandy patches between reef formations, their camouflage extraordinary and their tolerance of respectful divers allowing extended observation. Torpedo rays rest beside them on the sand, and the combination of electric rays and angel sharks in a single dive is a uniquely El Cabrón experience. The reserve also harbours exceptional nudibranch diversity, seahorses in the algae-covered sections, and the full complement of Canarian reef fish in impressive health. Enter through Playa del Cabrón to access one of Europe's great underwater treasures.