Escull de Sant Pere

A torch beam that vanishes a metre from the mask is not unusual here. This is a small islet dive built around circling the rock at a chosen depth, with the tunnel as the one fixed landmark, entered around 11m and cutting through to a Y-shaped passage that runs deeper. Divers descend as a group and hold formation rather than spreading out, since the water can turn from clear to opaque without warning. Passing through the chimney gives a striking backlit silhouette from outside, then the circuit continues along rock crevices where octopus and small crustaceans hide. It rewards patient, close-focus looking over any expectation of open-water drama.

Escull de Sant Pere gets confused with a different, deeper seamount nearby called Montaña Hundida, which shares the same boat run and mooring area but is its own site. This islet is smaller and more contained: one chimney, one circuit, and marine life that is mostly benthic rather than schooling. On a poor-visibility day the dive becomes an unplanned navigation exercise, which is either the appeal or the drawback depending on what you came for. A conger eel reported inside the tunnel and colonies of tiny sea squirts on the rock reward divers willing to slow down rather than chase distance.

Bring a torch for the tunnel interior and for spotting benthic life when the water turns murky. A larger tank is worth considering for the deeper Y-shaped route, given the extra bottom time it takes. Compass discipline matters more here than at most sites nearby. The dive is essentially a lap around one islet, and on a bad-visibility day, navigation is the skill being tested, not sightseeing.