Las Calles

The corridors begin almost immediately after descent. Massive rock blocks stand facing each other with vertical walls, forming parallel passages narrow enough to see both sides clearly. Orange coral covers every rock face, turning the passages into vivid corridors that glow under torchlight. Electric rays rest on sandy patches at the transitions between blocks — look down where rock meets sand. Partway through the labyrinth, the Cueva del Viento opens up: a cavern entrance roughly 4 metres high and 8 metres wide, naturally lit and large enough to swim into comfortably. Beyond the main corridor system, the terrain drops to 22-24 metres where the blocks give way to a more open reef.

A marine researcher from the Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños described this zone as hosting the richest benthic community in Andalucia — a claim that reflects the site's position at the Atlantic-Mediterranean boundary where nutrient-rich water sweeps across rock surfaces supporting both warm- and cold-water species. The orange coral is the most visible evidence: a protected Mediterranean species thriving here on the Atlantic side, coating the corridor walls in a density that no other Tarifa site matches. Four different names — Las Calles, Los Pasillos, Los Callejones, Los Corredores — all describe the same street-like architecture, a topography unique on the island.

Buoyancy control matters more here than at most Tarifa sites. The corridors are wide enough to swim through, but careless fin kicks near the walls will damage orange coral colonies. Use frog kick or pull-and-glide in the narrower sections. The Atlantic exposure means currents can build during the dive, particularly on ebb tide — if conditions change, your guide will keep the group in the shallower corridors. Spring visits in May offer peak nudibranch diversity, with Hypselodoris orsinii common along the rock faces.