When we think about the Mediterranean Sea, we usually associate it with yacht life, beautiful sceneries,
beaches, fancy dining, but we usually don’t associate it with scuba diving. We definitely should. The island of Mallorca in Spain, has a very rich diversity of marine life that every diver should be eager to discover. The Mediterranean Sea has the reputation to be overfished, but thanks to a few marine reserves around this island, there are some rich dive sites full of marine life. Here are a few reasons why you should consider heading to the Balearic Islands for a scuba adventure. At the beginning of the season, around April and May, the water is still quite cold, if you are like me, and used to diving in the pristine conditions of the tropics, but, properly suit up, you quickly forget that you are not diving in the Caribbean.
The island of Mallorca, with its hundreds of calas (catalan for coves) and its hundreds of kilometers of coast, has so much to offer. In an initiative to protect the marine live diversities of its water, Mallorca has a few marine reserves around this island with an abundance of different species to observe. Everything from macro life with over 60 different types of nudibranchs found in its water, to school of hundreds of barracudas, eels, groupers, stonefish, starfish and all kinds of invertebrates and, my personal favorite, octopus! Who doesn’t love a good octopus sighting? The “Reservas marinas de la Isla del Toro e Islas Malgrats”, “Reserva marina del Freu de Sa Dragonera” and “Reserva marina del Migjorn de Mallorca” where the island of Cabrera is located are examples of hotspot to see marine life around Mallorca. Is the Mediterranean completely dead? From what I’ve seen, it is full of interesting sea life. If you are lucky, you might have the chance to observe a Bluefin Tuna or even a Mola Mola. Or admire a pod of dolphins on your way to you favorite dive site.
If you are into topography, the coast along the island of Mallorca has some well hidden secrets just waiting to be discovered. One of these is Caló des Monjo. Basically, you would start your dive in a nice protected cove. A few meters down, you will find the entrance of a tunnel that goes from one cove to the next. Don’t forget your torch as it gets pretty dark for a few minutes. The cavern is about 40 meters long if you cross it to go from one cove to the other. As you get on the other side, you can just follow along the gentle wall to find your way back to the boat. As it is a very nice and smooth dive on a calm day, with the bluest of water, you can take some amazing pictures as you come out of the cavern. Sa Madonna is another example of a dive site with unique topography, where you can enter a massive underwater chamber. For the cave divers out there, make sure you check out some of the more beautiful decorated cave systems you can find like Cova de Pas de Vallgornera.
Another reason to dive in the Mediterranean, but more precisely around the island of Mallorca, is the crystal clear pristine water and the usually calm sea. All those conditions make it quite enjoyable to dive there. The water might be chill around April (about 21°C), but it does warm up to very enjoyable temperature towards the end of the summer (28°C).
It doesn't matter if you are an amateur of rock formations, tunnels, caverns or even caves diving. The geologist in you will find something to love and to make you put diving in Mallorca high on your favorite diving destinations. On the other hand, if you are passionate about marine life or underwater photography, you will just fall in love with all the different nudibranchs you can observe or the school of barracudas that might just happen to pass by while you are doing your safety stop at El Toro. I personally can't wait for my next dive around this beautiful island that has so much beauty to offer in and out of the water.
If you are heading to Mallorca for a scuba adventures, contact our friends at Zoea Mallorca in Santa Ponsa for the best team on the island.
Gabrielle Bertrand is an IDC Staff Instructor in Utila, Honduras. Follow her on Facebook or on Instagram.