El Cabron

El Cabron packs the Canaries' greatest concentration of fish life into one shore-dived headland. Lava arches and caverns open onto terraces where drifts of bastard grunts and bogue hang so thick they dim the light; angel sharks bury themselves in the winter sand, cuttlefish and octopus work the reef edge, and seahorses turn up for patient hunters. Because everything happens between 5 m and 25 m off a walk-in entry, the reserve rewards long, slow dives — the kind where a single arch can absorb half a tank.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: Dense fish schools, lava arches and caves, winter angelshark encounters

التضاريس: Volcanic arches, caves, drop-offs and sand patches around a protected headland

نقطة الدخول: Rocky shore entries near Arinaga on Gran Canaria's east coast; steps and lava platforms demand calm seas and careful footing.

المخاطر: Entries over uneven lava are the main risk, and swell shuts the site quickly.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: A designated marine reserve; take nothing and keep off the sand where angelsharks lie buried.