Mallorca — Palma & the Southwest

This is bay-and-reserve diving off the resort coast of Calvià and the western edge of Palma city, not a wilderness. The centres are at Port Adriano, the Santa Ponça marina, Camp de Mar, Palmanova and Puerto Portals, and the reserve islets, El Toro and the Malgrats, are about ten minutes out by boat, so a reserve dive is a short hop from the quay rather than a day at sea. Courses and first dives go in from the beach at Son Matias, in around 3 m of water, and at Camp de Mar, which also hosts the night dives. El Toro is dived only through the authorised local clubs, and in high season the bays carry enough boat traffic that it needs watching on ascent.

El Toro is dived from six numbered buoys, and buoys 3 and 4 on its eastern side hold large resident groupers; the deepest local site, Es Banc de S'Oll, runs from 8 to 30 m. The Malgrats are similar: moray eels, groupers, octopus, scorpionfish, amberjack and gilthead bream on rock where fishing has been restricted since the reserves were declared in 2004, with barracuda schooling above. Cala Vinyes and Cala Figuera are rocky walls, sand patches and small caves between 5 and 20 m, and Punta des Catius has a plateau at 8 m stepping off to 28 m where rays turn up sometimes. Off Palma's harbour breakwater lies the Playa Dorada, a 37 m cargo ship at 27 m, with three smaller wrecks beside it.

It suits divers on a resort holiday who want reserve fish without a long day: Open Water divers are well served on the buoys and in the coves, and beginners have sheltered beach entries for a first dive. The advanced material is real but limited. The Porto Pi wrecks at 27–28 m are for experienced divers only, Palma Caves is pitched at Advanced divers on a first cavern dive, and the strong currents and blue-water barracuda schools are at Dragonera, a separate reserve further west the same boats visit. Divers who want a national park with nothing built on the shore should look to the Cabrera Archipelago instead; the southwest centres run summer trips there, but it is a different day out.