Mallorca · Spain · Wall
Es Colomer
A long arch descending the wall next to the Formentor islet
Photo: Aina Vidal · CC BY 2.0
A vertical wall beside the Formentor islet, dropping to 40 m past massive boulders, with a long arch that descends into the depths and swim-throughs on the way down. It is a boat dive rated advanced by the operators, and the draw is what passes in the blue: schools of barracuda, hunting amberjack, big grouper and dentex.
Where it is and how deep
39.9441° N, 3.1310° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Es Colomer sits next to Formentor's islet, and the dive is a wall: vertical rock that drops off into blue water with the bottom at 40 m. You go in from the boat over the rock, descend the face and follow it, keeping the wall on one side and the blue on the other. Massive boulders lie against the wall and there are swim-throughs between them, so the route is not a straight line; it threads between the rock and back out to the drop-off.
The feature Scuba Mallorca singles out is a large, long arch that descends towards the depths, and its walls carry plenty of nudibranchs, so this is where the dive slows down and the macro lens comes out. Beyond the arch the attention shifts to open water: huge schools of barracuda, amberjack hunting in the blue, massive grouper and dentex on the rock and moray eels in the cracks. Ascend back up the wall rather than into open water, using the boulders and the arch as reference for the stops.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Mallorca: May to October is the season, with boats out daily; the Alcúdia centre dives all year. Water peaks at 26°C in August and falls to 14–15°C in February and March; winter is wet and windy.
Know before you go
- The drop-off continues to 40 m with no floor in sight from the shallows; agree a maximum depth before descending and hold it on the wall.
Photos from Es Colomer
H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gabriele Pastori · CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions divers ask
How deep is Es Colomer?+
Scuba Mallorca lists a maximum of 40 m and rates the site advanced, for experienced divers; the wall drops off into the blue beside the Formentor islet.
Sources
- Es Colomer — Scubago
- The Dives — Scuba Mallorca
Photo credits
- Two bare rock stacks of Es Colomer rising from the sea off Mallorca's north coast by Aina Vidal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rocky islet in turquoise water below the Mirador es Colomer viewpoint by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Wide view of the jagged coastline and open sea seen from Mirador Es Colomer by Gabriele Pastori, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Mallorca
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The Ghost Ship: an intact 20 m motor-sailboat on sand at 38 m
Drop-off to 40 m with boulders and swim-throughs on an exposed cape
Vertical walls to 50 m with barracuda schools and hunting amberjack
Cave & cavern
Surface inside a stalactite-hung air chamber reached through a gallery
Cave & cavern
Narrow swim-throughs and a small air pocket inside the rock, 18 m max
Cave & cavern
Vertical chimneys with sunbeams in a 12 m shore-entry cavern
An arch and a cave with barracuda schools, over sand and posidonia
Seahorses, cuttlefish and rays in the sand and posidonia at 12 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Two dives in one: an easier south side to 35 m, a deep north side past 40 m
A wall corner on the north coast where the big groupers sit
Tunnels, canyons and walls down to a plateau facing open water
The area's big fish: barracuda and amberjack schools off a wall from 10 to 40 m