10 Best Places for Diving and Underwater Photography in Spain

A 40-metre-deep merchant ship guarded by sunfish and eagle rays, dolphins and half-metre-wide starfish, coral reefs and much more lie hidden beneath the seas surrounding the peninsula. Discover them with camera in hand and leave no fish unphotographed.

Before putting on your wetsuit, here are 3 essential tips for underwater photography:

Invest in quality photographic equipment - without it, your photos will appear blurred and lack sharpness. Underwater housings are an excellent solution; add one to your trusty compact camera to optimise exposure, colour and autofocus.

Practise with your underwater housing in a swimming pool first. This way, you'll know the best shots to take when you're underwater. You'll also be able to record underwater videos.

Get as close as possible to your main subject - this will make your shots much sharper. You can take underwater photos down to 40 metres depth.

Let's dive in - the best places for diving in Spain!

Cíes Islands. Swim alongside dolphins, pilot whales, conger eels, moray eels, white seabream and lobsters. With luck, you might photograph half-metre-wide starfish using any W-Series camera with its compatible underwater housing - the colours will appear vibrant and magnificent. All this at the entrance to Vigo's estuary.

Medes Islands. Expert divers will find the best routes through seaweed forests and corals below 20 metres, plus dives for beginners. Considered the finest marine reserve in the Western Mediterranean, located on the Costa Brava.

Fuerteventura. The lava flows and presence of parrotfish and stingrays make Fuerteventura essential. The most popular spot is Corralejo, opposite Lobos Islet. For low-light shots, use a high-performance WX1 camera with light-sensitive sensors and its compatible housing that maintains all features.

Cabo de San Antonio. Beneath 150-metre-high cliffs lies equally dramatic underwater terrain with seabeds of various rock types. Between Denia and Xàbia on Alicante's northern coast.

Cap de Creus Natural Park. The seabed in this prized area is dominated by Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica), sharing space with red coral, groupers, barracudas, blue sharks, scorpionfish, gilthead seabream and octopuses. On the Girona coast.

Columbretes Islands. Red coral, groupers, sunfish, tripletail fish, white seabream, red oysters, purple starfish and lobsters showcase the biodiversity in these waters 30 miles from Castellón's port.

Islas Hormigas. Dive in a Marine Reserve with excellently preserved ecosystems, valuable coral reefs and several shipwrecks. This underwater paradise lies three miles from Cabo de Palos.

Cabo de Gata. At 40 metres depth, you'll see a fantastic 100-metre-long steam merchant ship sunk in the 1930s, one mile southwest of the lighthouse. To photograph it entirely, use the panoramic sweep function on your TX5 or TX7 compact camera with its underwater housing for easy panoramic shots.

El Hierro. At El Bajón, find black coral between 5-100 metres, dolphins, barracudas and manta rays. At Veril, discover a black coral cave. Water visibility reaches 40 metres here.

Formentera. One of the Mediterranean's finest seascapes features coral reefs and Posidonia oceanica meadows. With 15-50 metre visibility, your photos will look cinematic - use autofocus for perfect shots. Top spots include Punta Prima, Punta Pedrera, La Mola cliffs and Migjorn Bay.