Roncadores del Faro

Diving from boat – easy level.
Also called Atlantida for its rock formation made of basalt and for its tunnels, this dive site is a located just before getting to the light house of Punta Rasca, while sailing since from las Galletas.
The anchor is set at 6m depth.

The briefing was clear: first step at 7m max, then a second one around 20m and finally the last one is far away, at about 30 m depth, right before the drop off.
We begin our dive. Quickly arrived on the bottom, we notice that the eradication of the long-spine black sea urchins that divers are carrying out is useful. The rocky bottom is covered with green seaweeds which were able now to grow slowly.
Small school of goldstrieme seem to benefit from them, they go from rock to rock, grazing them literally. We get close to the first wall. The visibility is good today, more than 20 meters, we see very clearly the school of bastard grunts (Pomadasys incisus) which swims slowly below us.

The Bastard grunts (Roncadores in Spanish) gave their name to this site. They are resident here, and they almost always swim in the area. Although they move between 20 and 25 meters depth, it is almost certain to find them. Slowly, we approach them. Impossible to count them, they are so many…

A rocky overhang goes out of the falling. It is pierced by a tunnel from about fifteen metres long. Of a diameter which presents no danger for the diver, this tunnel is the opportunity to experiment “swim throughs” during a dive without big shiver. The bottom of the tunnel is strewed with rocks which offer refuge to some shrimps called Red Atlantic reef lobster. Few marine lives elected as a place of residence the walls and nor the ceiling.






Once past the swim through, we swim towards the ocean, at deeper depth. Two rock bars go towards the south. We follow one from them, using it to protect us from the current which gets slightly stronger as we go down.








Along the way, a small school of amberjack follows us during about twenty metres. After 3 minutes of contemplative swim, we are at the edge of the drop off, at 30m depth. There, we can see some branches of black coral. For a couple of minutes, we scrutinize the blue in search of pelagic. Nothing for this time.








We follow the second rocky bar to return to the boat. We have the surprise to meet a purgeon fish (Chilomycterus atringa), hidden in the shade, under a rocky overhang. It has a spine pinched in the mouth. The purgeon fish plays an important game in the regulation of long-spine black sea urchins. Now protected by law, it was fished for a long time for its decorative value. Nowadays, the specie is considered as vulnerable. A fish not to disturb.

Returning to the school of bastard grunts in the 20 metres depth area, we follow the wall on the right hand side and we find the entrance of another cave.
Much narrower than the previous one, we do not go inside but the bubbles which escape from the roof indicate that we can penetrate it. We return on the step, at safety stop depth, while we exchange some glances with trumpetfish, parrotfish or seabreams.