The Atoll

A single huge rock rising off the deep Escarceo outer reef, its crown at about 20 metres and its base at 33 — a submerged mound that carries the name “atoll” as a local misnomer. One flank is undercut into a long overhang worth a torch; the opposite deep face is broken into small crevices where whitetip reef sharks and bluespotted rays lie up out of the flow. Soft corals, gorgonian fans and barrel sponges coat the exposed sides, and lionfish, morays, octopus and nudibranchs work the structure. Its depth makes nitrox and deep training the sensible baseline, and the tidal shear off this stretch of reef can turn downward as well as sweep across it.