Common Stingray

Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC

Common stingrays are abundant at El Puertito across all depth zones from the shallow sand and seagrass beds at 2 metres down to the rocky margins at 15 metres, resting partially buried during the day and becoming highly active at dusk as they begin hunting the crustaceans, worms, and bivalves buried in the sandy substrate. They interact with angel sharks in a fascinating spatial pattern — stingrays occupy shallower sand while angel sharks prefer depths of 8 to 14 metres, creating near-adjacent resting zones that divers can observe in a single dive without covering large distances. The stingrays at El Puertito have become sufficiently habituated to diver presence that close approach without disturbance is routine, making this one of the best sites in Europe for extended observation of natural ray behaviour.