peter bassill · operator
$ cat diving/sites/seven-sisters

Seven Sisters.

Seven Sisters is a group of rocky pinnacles close to the shore on Gibraltar's west side, rising from more than 10 m of water, with a few breaking the surface. It is often called Gibraltar's most bio-diverse site, with red coral, cup corals and gorgonians. It is now a marine protected area where fishing and anchoring are banned.

Where · Rosia Marine Conservation Zone, west side of Gibraltar Type · pinnacle Depth · 3–20 m Logged · 62 dives, 10 May 2001 – 26 Sep 2002

My night-dive site: every other Thursday, right through 2001 and 2002.

— from the log
$ man seven-sisters
01 / The dive

What's down there.

POINTS OF INTEREST
  • Seven rock pinnacles close together, some breaking the surface
  • Precious red coral (Corallium rubrum) and orange cup coral
  • Old anchors, clay pipes and pottery from centuries of shipping
  • Wooden vessel 'Okeanus' sunk here as part of the artificial reef project
  • Popular night-dive and photography site
MARINE LIFE
  • Octopus
  • Moray eels
  • Red scorpionfish
  • Nudibranchs
  • Hermit crabs and spider crabs
  • Sea anemones
  • Red coral and orange cup coral
  • Gorgonians (sea fans)
DEPTH & CONDITIONS

3–20 m; pinnacles rise from over 10 m, and a few break the surface

Sheltered, shallow site close to the shore, used as a shore dive. Visibility is quoted at 10–30 m. Suitable for all levels, and well suited to photography and night dives. Fishing and anchoring are banned in the conservation zone.

$ grep seven-sisters diving/log | wc -l
03 / Logged here

62 dives.

From the reconstructed log — the dates follow the pattern I dived, so read them as representative rather than exact.

2001 27
2002 35

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