Ibiza & Formentera · Spain · Pinnacle
The Needle
A column rising from 36 m to 5 m off Es Vedrà
Area photo: Fabian Hurst · CC BY-SA 4.0
A pinnacle off the south-west side of Es Vedrà, in the area of Sa Bestorre, rising from about 36 metres to about 5 metres below the surface. It is a dive around a column rather than along a reef. Groupers, barracuda and some large scorpion fish are on it, lobsters back in the holes, and sponge and anemone colonies over the walls.
Where it is and how deep
38.8633° N, 1.1898° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The Needle stands on the south-west side of Es Vedrà, in the area known as Sa Bestorre. Its top is at about 5 metres and its base at about 36 metres, and the dive follows the obvious line for that shape: down one side to whatever depth the plan allows, then a slow spiral back up around the column with the rock as your reference the whole way.
It is recommended for advanced divers, and the 36 metre base is the reason. On the rock, with luck, there are groupers, barracuda and some large scorpion fish, lobsters set back in the holes, and colonies of sponge and anemone on the walls. The shallow top at about 5 metres gives somewhere to spend the last of the gas and hold a stop without leaving the site.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Macro critters
| 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.
Sources
- The Needle - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Ibiza & Formentera
Pinnacle
A shoal from 24 m of sand up to 3 m below the surface
Cave & cavern
A wide 4-9 m entrance into a chamber with an air pocket
Three passes cut clean through the islet wall
Wall
A reserve wall to 20 m with a small arch full of life
Pinnacle
A cone of rock offshore, circled between 10 and 28 m
A holed wall from a 5 m platform down to 30 m
Seamount
A seamount from 50 m to centimetres under the surface
Reef
A reserve dive to 28 m, with the route cut to fit the group
Similar dives elsewhere
Maze-like rock stacks full of red sea fans to 40 m
Barracuda over a 2.5 m summit, gorgonians and a 2005 wreck below
Two rock plateaus at 3 m with 36 m of water around them
Rock towers rising from 50 m to 6 m below the surface