Mallorca — Alcúdia, Pollença & Cap de Formentor, the area around Swiss Cheese

Mallorca · Spain · Cave & cavern · Wall

Swiss Cheese

A cavern with multiple entrances at 4 m and a deep-water tunnel below

Area photo: Bengt Nyman · CC BY 3.0

A cavern honeycombed with entrances, tunnels and exits at about 4 m, which gives the site its name and its light show, next to a wall and a deep-water tunnel for divers who want more depth. SCUBANEO's advanced route reaches 27 m and Scuba Mallorca lists 32 m as the maximum. Nudibranchs, octopus, morays and amberjack are the regulars.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Swiss Cheese: typical dive 4–27 m (13–90 ft), deepest point 32 m (105 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit4 m27 m32 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

39.8921° N, 3.1912° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The cavern is the reason for the name: a block of rock at about 4 m with entrances, tunnels and exits running through it in several directions, so that light enters from more than one side at once and the inside is lit from all around. You go in from the boat, drop onto the structure and work through it, choosing openings and coming out where the light leads. It is shallow enough that this part of the dive can take as long as you like.

Next to the platform the rock becomes a wall, and there is a deep-water tunnel for divers who want to go further. SCUBANEO runs three routes, Scuba Diver to 12 m, Open Water to 18 m and advanced to 27 m, and Scuba Mallorca gives 32 m as the site maximum, so the deeper option is to do the wall and the deep tunnel first and finish back in the cavern at 4 m. Octopus, moray eels, amberjack, wrasse and monkfish are listed at the site, and SCUBANEO adds barracuda, grouper, scorpionfish, lobsters, crawfish, gilt-head bream, sargo and nudibranchs.

Marine life and season

  • Octopus & cuttlefish
  • Trevally & jacks
  • Barracuda
  • Groupers
  • Nudibranchs
Month-by-month season rating for Swiss Cheese
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFair

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

  • Overhead: the cavern has multiple entrances and exits, so pick a route with the guide and keep an opening in sight; the deep-water tunnel belongs to the advanced route.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Swiss Cheese?+

The cavern structure is at about 4 m. SCUBANEO's advanced route reaches 27 m at most and Scuba Mallorca lists 32 m as the site maximum, so the depth depends on the route you choose.

Sources

  1. Swiss Cheese — Scubago
  2. Swiss Cheese Dive Site — SCUBANEO
  3. The Dives — Scuba Mallorca

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