Costa Brava · Spain · Pinnacle · Reef
La Nacra
Underwater mountain five minutes out of Blanes port
Area photo: Xavigivax · CC BY-SA 3.0
La Nacra is an underwater mountain in front of the Blanes botanic garden, five minutes out of the port. It sits between 12 and 22 metres, shallow enough that both the catalogue and the local centre rate it for all levels, with banks of damselfish over the top and morays, groupers and octopus in the rock.
Where it is and how deep
41.6745° N, 2.8082° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is a mountain rather than a reef: a mass of rock standing off the bottom with its top at about 12 metres and its base at 22, five minutes' sailing from Blanes port and straight out in front of the botanic garden. No route is published for it and it does not need one, because the rock is the reference for the whole dive and the depth you get is set by how far down its flanks you work. Blanes-Sub gives the site 12 to 20 metres, so groups often stay high on it.
Large banks of damselfish hang over the rock and are usually the first thing you meet on the descent. Down the flanks, morays are in the cracks, groupers hold the bigger overhangs, octopus sit out on the rock, and there are nudibranchs on the faces for anyone diving slowly. In the warmer months barracuda and rays are added to the list, working the water off the rock rather than the rock itself.
Because the mountain is compact and the profile is a natural multilevel, it suits a mixed group: a newer diver can stay high on the rock at around 12 metres for the whole dive while the rest of the group circles lower and comes back up to finish. The five-minute run from the port means it also works as an easy second dive of the day.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
| 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 Costa Brava: Water holds above 20 °C from June to October and tops out around 25–26 °C in August; winter dives run at 12–14 °C.
Questions divers ask
Is La Nacra suitable for new divers?+
Both the catalogue and Blanes-Sub rate it for all levels. The summit sits at about 12 metres and the base at 22, so a newer diver can work the top of the mountain while the rest of the group takes the deeper flanks.
Sources
- La Nacra - Scubago — Scubago
- Blanes-Sub dive sites — Blanes-Sub
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