Ibiza & Formentera · Spain · Wall · Reef
Es Banc
A reserve wall to 20 m with a small arch full of life
Area photo: Fabian Hurst · CC BY-SA 4.0
A wall inside the marine reserve of Formentera, a short ten-minute navigation from port and a favourite of the centre that dives it. Maximum depth is 20 metres and the average is 15, so it is a long, unhurried follow of the rock past a small arch with a lot of life in it. Barracuda, grouper, octopus, rays on the sand and many kinds of nudibranch.
Where it is and how deep
38.7261° N, 1.3906° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Es Banc is inside the marine reserve of Formentera, a short ten-minute navigation from port, which makes it an easy first dive of the day. The usual plan is to follow the wall, with a maximum depth of 20 metres and an average of 15, so the whole dive sits in the band where bottom time is generous and the no-stop clock is not what ends it.
Partway along the wall the group comes across a small arch, and it is the busiest part of the site. Barracuda and grouper are the fish that show first, octopus and moray eels are in the rock, rays lie on the sand off the base, and there are lots of different nudibranchs on the face for anyone diving it slowly. The nudibranchs alone are a reason not to hurry the wall.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Stingrays
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Ibiza & Formentera: Logged dives climb from April, peak in July and August and fall away through November; December to March activity is negligible on both islands.
Questions divers ask
Is Es Banc suitable for new divers?+
Its maximum depth is 20 metres and the dive averages 15, following a wall inside the Formentera marine reserve, so it sits close to Open Water limits and the boat ride out is only about ten minutes.
Sources
- Es Banc - Scubago — Scubago
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