From dolphins riding the bow to octopus on the reefs below — the wildlife you might meet on a day at sea with us.
The water off Marbella is busier than it looks. On the surface, dolphins work the coast and the odd sunfish or turtle drifts past; below it, the reefs and old wrecks shelter octopus, moray and cuttlefish. Nothing at sea is ever guaranteed — it's wild — but here's what this coast regularly turns up, above and below.
Bottlenose and common dolphins both work this stretch of coast, and on a good day a pod will fall in alongside and ride the bow wave on the way out — one of those moments that makes a day on the water. Spring and autumn often bring the most activity, though they turn up year-round. You might also catch a sunfish basking flat at the surface, the occasional loggerhead turtle, or seabirds diving a bait ball. We can't promise dolphins — no one honestly can — but we know the coast well enough to put you where the odds are best.
See our charters →Drop beneath the same water and the coast changes character entirely. These are real clips from the dive sites we run, all a short ride from the port — the residents you're most likely to meet on a dive.
Marbella's master of disguise — colour-shifting and endlessly curious, usually tucked into a reef crevice watching you right back.
That open-and-close jaw is just how it breathes, not a threat — a shy reef-dweller that holds its ground in the rocks.
A living light show, rippling waves of colour across its skin as it hovers and hunts over the sand.
A small, completely harmless shark that rests on the seabed by day — a quiet thrill for first-time divers.
Armoured and unhurried, often dressed in bits of algae for camouflage across the rocky bottom.
Whip-like antennae and not a claw in sight, picking its way through a blaze of orange cup coral — a prize find on Marbella's rocky reefs.
Marine life is wild and seasonal — sightings vary with conditions, time of year and a little luck.
Want to get among it? Dive Marbella's reefs →
Spend a day on the water with us — dolphins up top, and a whole other world below.