Mediterranean · Spain
Costa Brava — Blanes, Lloret & Tossa
Town-based Costa Brava diving over granite rock and Posidonia
Photo: Xavigivax · CC BY-SA 3.0
Three neighbouring towns at the southern end of the Costa Brava share a coast of granite coves and offshore rock, dived from the beach and on short boat runs from Blanes port and the Tossa beaches. Most dives sit between 5 and 30 metres: Sa Bauma off the Illa de Tossa runs a standard route to 24 m, Mar Menuda crosses pre-coralligenous rock from 17 to 30 m, and Muladera Grossa holds an extensive Posidonia meadow. Bolets, 23 to 35 m, is the deep-certification exception.
About diving in Costa Brava — Blanes, Lloret & Tossa
About a dozen centres work this stretch, six in Tossa and six between Lloret and Blanes, and the diving is built around the towns rather than a boat schedule. Blanes-Sub sits on the port two minutes from Santa Anna Bay and dives the bays of Santa Anna and Cala Sant Francesc or takes a slow or speed boat out. In Tossa de Mar the centres are on the beaches themselves, at Platja de Santa María de Llorell, Cala d'en Carles and Platja de la Mar Menuda, and the runs are short: Perduts lies less than five minutes by boat from Mar Menuda, in open water where current is possible, and Cala Grand a few minutes more. Cala Canyelles, at Lloret, is a beach entry that follows a jetty out to about 7 m.
The bottom is granite and coralligenous rock rather than coral. At Biotops the dive works through blocks at 27 m; Roca de Santa Anna is a pyramid-shaped rock from 26 down to 34 m; El Tubet is low granite half a mile offshore; Na Bosca is two rock masses separated by a sand channel. Posidonia meadows fill the gaps, extensively at Muladera Grossa and around the rock at Cala Grand. Blanes divers report sea anemones, long-snouted seahorses, sponges, spirographs, octopus, starfish, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. The 3 to 17 m shallows at Punta Santa Anna still hold sixteenth-century falconets and cannons from old shipwrecks.
It suits divers already staying in these towns, and beginners in particular: Platja de Sa Caleta is shallow, easy to orient in and used for long calm dives and for night dives, while the deeper boat sites give an advanced diver somewhere to go. What it does not offer is reserve-grade fish life or a distinctive reef system. The coast from Tossa north to Sant Feliu de Guíxols falls inside the Massís de les Cadiretes protected space, about a fifth of which is sea, but that is a protected-landscape designation rather than a dive-managed reserve. Divers who want the latter should carry on 50 km north to the Medes Islands, where a buoy and permit system caps diver numbers, or to Cap de Creus.
Best time to dive Costa Brava — Blanes, Lloret & Tossa
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | 14°C57°F | 13°C55°F | 13°C55°F | 14°C57°F | 17°C63°F | 21°C70°F | 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 24°C75°F | 21°C70°F | 18°C64°F | 15°C59°F |
| Daytime high | 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 18°C64°F | 22°C72°F | 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 26°C79°F | 24°C75°F | 20°C68°F | 17°C63°F |
| Rain | 43 mm1.7 in | 33 mm1.3 in | 87 mm3.4 in | 81 mm3.2 in | 70 mm2.8 in | 50 mm2.0 in | 53 mm2.1 in | 48 mm1.9 in | 82 mm3.2 in | 98 mm3.9 in | 89 mm3.5 in | 41 mm1.6 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 14°C57°F | 13°C55°F | 13°C55°F | 14°C57°F | 17°C63°F | 21°C70°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 16°C61°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 18°C64°F | 22°C72°F | 26°C79°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 43 mm1.7 in | 33 mm1.3 in | 87 mm3.4 in | 81 mm3.2 in | 70 mm2.8 in | 50 mm2.0 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 24°C75°F | 26°C79°F | 24°C75°F | 21°C70°F | 18°C64°F | 15°C59°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 26°C79°F | 24°C75°F | 20°C68°F | 17°C63°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 53 mm2.1 in | 48 mm1.9 in | 82 mm3.2 in | 98 mm3.9 in | 89 mm3.5 in | 41 mm1.6 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
May opens the main season, when every centre is running and the water is back near 18 °C. From May to October the sea runs between about 18 and 25 °C, warmest in August, and the conditions are at their most stable. July and August are the busiest months, so boats are worth booking ahead; June and September bring fewer divers in warm water. From November to April the sea drops into the low teens and a drysuit is the norm. Winter seas are rougher and several centres close for a few months, so confirm before travelling. Mar Menuda faces south and is not affected by the north wind, which keeps it diveable on days that close the exposed rocks.
Best months: June, July, August, September
Lloret & Tossa water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 13 °C (55 °F) in February to 26 °C (79 °F) in August. It is 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer from July to September. Most rain falls from September to November, peaking at about 100 mm (3.9 in) in October; February is the driest. Daytime highs reach 28 °C (82 °F) in August and drop to 16 °C (61 °F) in January. The coldest water here is about 12 °C (54 °F), so pack a 7 mm suit with a hood, or a semi-dry.
Dive types & marine life
The life is small and resident: sea anemones, long-snouted seahorses, sponges, spirographs, octopus, starfish, sea cucumbers and sea urchins on the rock at Blanes, with fish and invertebrates through the Posidonia. No large-animal encounter is documented for this coast. Jellyfish are a summer hazard along the whole Costa Brava.
- Reef
- Night
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Costa Brava — Blanes, Lloret & Tossa
- 1
Mar Menuda
Tossa's beach dive and the coast's best known: routes for every level from 14 m out to 30 m, and a night-dive favourite.
- 2
La Muladera / Roca del Moro
Two rocks split by a 50 m canyon in a Posidonia meadow, 0 to 24 m; the favourite boat dive off Lloret.
- 3
Illa de Tossa
Vertical canyon walls to 24 m with coralline algae and big white gorgonians; for experienced divers.
- 4
Bolets
Metre-high rock mushrooms over 200 m at 23 to 35 m, with lobsters, morays and nudibranchs; deep cert only.
- 5
La Nacra
Rock mountain five minutes out of Blanes port, 12 to 22 m, with groupers, morays and a small cave.
- 6
Punta Santa Anna - La Seca
Shore dive behind Blanes port, 3 to 17 m, where sixteenth-century cannons still lie among the rock.
- 7
El Fitó / Tres Pics
Three rock peaks east of the Muladera circled with the wall on the left, 19 to 24 m.
- 8
Na Bosca
Two rocks split by a sand channel, sheltered from almost every wind, so it suits all levels.
Site guides
Reef
23 m at the top, 35 m at the bottom, deep ticket required
Beach entry along the jetty to about 7 m
Two route options from a 19 m anchorage down to 24 m
Reef
Low granite at 30 m, half a mile off Sa Palomera
Reef
Rock steps from an 18 m anchorage down to 25 m
Three granite arches on a 12 m shore route
Anchor line into the canyon between two rocks
Pinnacle
Underwater mountain five minutes out of Blanes port
Pre-coralligenous rock from 17 to 30 m, dived day and night
Sixteenth-century cannons on a 3 to 17 m shore dive
Reef
Granite blocks from the surface to 22 m
How to get to Costa Brava — Blanes, Lloret & Tossa
Girona-Costa Brava airport is 40 km away and Barcelona El Prat 120 km, both with direct buses: 35 minutes and about €10 from Girona to Lloret, 1 hour 35 from El Prat, and roughly two hours to Blanes with Sagalés. The C-32 reaches Blanes from Barcelona in about an hour. Centres are at Blanes port, on the Tossa beaches and at Cala Canyelles in Lloret.
Photos from Costa Brava — Blanes, Lloret & Tossa
Isidre blanc · CC BY-SA 3.0
DagafeSQV · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dawid Glawdzin · CC BY 3.0
cescasals · Public domain
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive in Lloret de Mar and Tossa?+
May to October, when every centre is running and the water sits between about 18 and 25 °C, warmest in August. July and August are the busiest weeks. Diving continues through winter in water in the low teens with a drysuit, but some centres close for a few months.
Can I shore dive at Tossa and Lloret, or do I need a boat?+
Both work. Mar Menuda at Tossa, Santa Anna cove at Blanes and Cala Canyelles at Lloret are walk-in beach dives, and the offshore rocks are 5 to 25 minutes out by boat from the Tossa beaches and Blanes port.
What certification do I need to dive this part of the Costa Brava?+
None for a try dive or an Open Water course; otherwise centres ask to see a card before every dive, and Spain requires a dive medical certificate. Open Water covers Mar Menuda, La Nacra and the coves, while Bolets and the 30 m rocks want deep certification.
What marine life can I see diving at Tossa de Mar?+
Resident rock life: groupers, conger and moray eels, octopus, cuttlefish, lobsters, nudibranchs and seahorses. Sunfish, rays, John Dory and monkfish turn up on some dives, and sunfish are seen most often in summer.
Where else on the Costa Brava can I dive nearby?+
Sant Feliu de Guíxols is 15 km north, with a cave system under Port Salvi. Palamós, Llafranc and Begur, about 35 km on, have the Formigues islets and the Ullastres pinnacles. The Medes Islands reserve, 50 km north, is the grouper dive, with a buoy and permit system.
Sources
- Diving sites - Tossa de Mar — Tossasub
- Plongée Costa Brava sud, les sites entre Tossa de Mar, Lloret et Blanes — Costa Brava Pals
- Thrilling dive spots to scuba dive in Costa Brava — Unexpected Catalonia
- Diving in Tossa de Mar — PADI
- Blanes — Association of Diving Centres of the Costa Brava
- Tossa de Mar — Wikivoyage
- Lloret de Mar — Wikivoyage
- Blanes — Wikivoyage
- Massís de l'Ardenya — Viquipèdia
Photo credits
- Wide sandy town beach at Lloret de Mar with the seafront and hills behind it. by Xavigivax, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Whitewashed chapel and palm tree above small fishing boats hauled up on the sand at Cala Canyelles. by Isidre blanc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Hillside pines and houses above a small harbour cove, seen from the coastal path at Cala Canyelles. by DagafeSQV, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aerial view of Canyelles beach cove with a small chapel above the sand and pine-covered cliffs around it. by Dawid Glawdzin, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sunset over the harbour at Blanes, with boats silhouetted on the water. by cescasals, Public domain, via Openverse
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