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The
Cathedral Inmersion or
also named “Garachico´s
Tunnel” is
considered to be one of the ten best immersions in Spain. Today it is surely the
best immersion we have on offer for our visiting divers.
Leaving Garachico´s harbour, we take 5 minutes to reach the anchorage point. Once here and the stabilising rope is attached from fore to aft we begin to get into the water, reaching the anchors cable. We have to allow for these safety precautions as there is generally a light surface current in which we could get tangled up in adjusting the wet suit, finding the right position of the octopus, etc. When we look up we are 50 ms. away from the boat and we have to swim against the current. So due to this we simply avoid any problems by holding on to the rope, which is there for this purpose. Once we have our heads under water we can contemplate beautiful solid basalt full of cracks and spattered with different types of yellowish brown sponges, we are often accompanied by a shoal of “medergales” who welcome and swim around us.
We “free fall” down a small wall to 25/28 meters deep where before our eyes a 15 m by 8m. door opens which combined with the” skylights” that are in the cavern of the volcanic tube gives you the sensation of entering an ancient temple. On the bottom are medium to large stones so there is no danger of cloudiness or turbulence. We move along 50 ms, until the cave twists almost 90 degrees on a right angle towards the left, making it necessary to use lights and torches, which up until now we have used to point out the small crustaceans hiding beneath the stones on the seabed. The roof and walls are hard and smooth as if they were constructed in a gigantic mould; the seabed has calcareous sand with remains of shell. In this area we have to be careful as if the ground is touched by a flipper it could cause turbulence from material rising and thus making it cloudy. So we advice you to swim in mid water and not near the bottom, likewise on entering the tube as it narrows, but has a sufficient width for a group of 6 divers.
When we look up we are 50 ms. away from the boat and we have to swim against the current. So due to this we simply avoid any problems by holding on to the rope, which is there for this purpose. Once we have our heads under water we can contemplate beautiful solid basalt full of cracks and spattered with different types of yellowish brown sponges, we are often accompanied by a shoal of “medergales” who welcome and swim around us.
Continuing along another 100ms the tunnel widens and the height increases creating a small dome in which there are large stones on the seabed, inhabited by crabs and canary lobsters, prawns, shrimps and scarlet ladies. Once we arrive at this point at the bottom of the cave on the left, if we turn off or simply turn the lamplight onto our bodies we can see light. This light indicates another way out, depending on the sea; we can leave though here although there are lots of sea urchins strategically placed. If we decide to go out this way, when we return it seems as if the seabed is boiling as our air bubbles that we have left behind are also looking for a way out. These slowly rise up though the orifices, creating a beautiful effect of thermal waters. If we don’t feel capable of going out though the tube, or that we simply prefer to return using the same route although seeing the opposite side of the tunnels wall when we leave the dark side, it is really spectacular. The contrast of light entering in though the roof openings, with an intense blue contrasting with our own silhouettes, creates an effect of light which is truly amazing.
On leaving, we also observe the outside tube walls, formed into perfect hexagon figures of basalt, some a little ahead of others – 40 metres, we find a capricious figure named “el angel” due to her seemingly open wings. Underneath this formation we usually find croakers / meagre or a solitary grouper.
Inmersion level 3
