El Ancón

El Ancón is a sheltered sandy cove on the northern edge of Cabo de Gata's protected zone that has earned an informal but well-documented reputation as the seahorse capital of the Mediterranean — dive guides reliably locate five or more long-snouted seahorses per session clinging to posidonia stems in as little as 4 metres of water. The shallow gradient and consistently clear water make this the park's top macro site and its most accessible for divers of all experience levels, while the adjacent rocky margins host pipefish, nudibranchs, and the occasional cuttlefish emerging from the meadow edge to investigate divers at eye level. Visibility regularly exceeds 20 metres even in the shallowest zones because the bay faces northeast and is protected from the persistent summer levante wind.