Just over a kilometre off Cabo de Palos lies the Islas Hormigas marine reserve: rocky seabeds, clear currents and abundant wildlife make it one of the best dive sites in the western Mediterráneo. You don't need to go deep to see it: at ten metres, groupers over a metre long swim calmly past divers.
The reserve has been protected since 1995, and it shows: fishing is restricted by zone and the ecosystem has had time to recover. There are sites for every level, from introductory dives to technical dives on the Sirio Naguib wreck at over forty metres.
Quick fact
Dive boats usually depart between 8:30 and 9:00, before the afternoon wind picks up the sea. Be on time: they don't usually wait.
What to expect
- 1Groupers up to two metres long, some known by name among local guides.
- 2The Sirio Naguib wreck, sunk in 1906, is suitable for advanced divers only.
- 3Walls of gorgonian corals from twenty metres down in the most sheltered parts of the reserve.
- 4Guided introductory dives in the shallows, from age eight with a suitable dive centre.
Dive centres in Cabo de Palos generally work in small groups of four to eight people per guide, with equipment included. Book a couple of days ahead in high season.