Scuba diving holidays in Ibiza

Scuba diving holidays in Ibiza

Ibiza is a beautiful island that is a part of the Balearic Islands which are located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain. Few people that visit Ibiza venture past the exciting night life scene that the island is the most famous for. However, Ibiza should be visited for its wealth of outdoor activities, including some world class scuba diving in the Mediterranean Sea.

Scuba diving is a popular sport on Ibiza, served by many excellent local dive shops, many of which have been rated by PADI with the highest rank of a five star dive shop. Ibiza’s proximity to the 15 islands which make up the Cala d’Hort Marine Nature Reserve means that this is one of the best kept scuba diving secrets in the Mediterranean Sea.

Marine nature reserves are especially excellent places to scuba dive, as they are legally protected areas of the Mediterranean Sea, from which no fish can be taken. That means no commercial or recreational fishing is allowed in the area, which in turn means that out of all of the Mediterranean, the marine nature reserve will have the highest concentration of sea life.

Marine nature reserves like the Cala d’Hort contribute significantly to the health of the surrounding ecosystems, and are supported by activities such as scuba diving. At Cala d’Hort, you can expect to see many magnificent Mediterranean Sea creatures like trigger fish, sea horses, sting rays, snappers, mola molas, nudibranchs, octopus, and huge groupers. If you are especially lucky and visit at the right time of year, you may even get to see some migrating humpback whales, and although this would be akin to winning the lottery, it does happen every year.

Visibility in the Cala d’Hort is usually around 25 to 30 meters. For divers with a little more experience, Cala d’Hort has several small underwater caverns that can be explored relatively safely. There are many magnificent seaside cliffs which dive down into the water making for excellent wall dives (and which are riddled with many undiscovered caves). If you are an adventure diver, you can dive some of these unexplored areas and may even find some ancient sunken treasure or other artefacts.

Where to stay

When staying on Ibiza with the goal to dive as much as you can, it is the best idea to rent holiday accommodation on or near the beach. You can stay at any of the numerous beachfront resorts (a few of which have dive shops right on the premises) or, as is becoming a more popular option, rent one of the many private villas in Ibiza. These are often a more private option, as well as a more economical option as long as you are a longer term renter. These are great options if you own your own dive gear and can transport yourself to dive sites, independent of any dive companies in the area. However, it is a good idea to go out a few times with local dive shops, as many are older and are professional in their knowledge about which locations make for the best dive sites.

Wreck diving on Ibiza

There are also several wrecks to dive in the aquatic area surrounding Ibiza. Some of the more popular wrecks are the Don Pedro which is a large ferry sitting at around 39 meters, so this is for more experienced divers. Santa Eulalia Bay has a couple of wrecks of unknown origin, also sitting at 40 meters so it makes for a more advanced dive.

Diving in Ibiza is reasonable compared to diving in other regions around the Mediterranean. For a typical dive package of five dives, including boat fees, weights, and tanks, you will pay around 145 Euros.

Article written by Rutger Thole who is an avid scuba diver and loves to travel, dive and write about scuba diving. Based in Amsterdam he runs bookyourdive.com and at least twice a year he plans a dive trip of the beaten track.

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This article is published by The Scuba Page, the online magazine for Scuba Dive lovers around the world. The Scuba Page is part of RUSHKULT : the online booking platform for adventure sports. Visit the RUSHKULT platform to book your next Scuba Dive training, guided trip and accommodation.