Medes Islands · Spain · Cave & cavern
La Vaca
A daylit tunnel system inside Meda Gran
Area photo: Alexandre Albore · CC BY-SA 4.0
La Vaca is a tunnel system inside Meda Gran, on the side of the island sheltered from the northern wind: one main passage with many smaller ones branching off it, pillars and walls dividing the way through, and light filling the caves. The mouth carries a colourful garden of gorgonians. The overall depth runs between 11 and 25 m.
Where it is and how deep
42.0474° N, 3.2222° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
La Vaca is dived on the side of Meda Gran sheltered from the northern wind, the side that stays workable in a northerly. You descend onto rock and follow it to the tunnel mouth, where the opening carries a colourful garden of gorgonians. The colour is concentrated right there at the entrance, so it is worth hanging at the mouth before the group moves through rather than shooting on the way out.
Inside there is one main tunnel with many smaller ones branching off it, and the passage is divided by pillars and walls as you go. Light fills the caves, so there is daylight to swim towards for much of the way instead of a black hole to aim a torch into. The branches are what make the site worth repeating, and they are also the reason to stay with the guide rather than pick your own way through.
The overall depth is between 11 and 25 m, which keeps the whole dive inside no-stop limits and leaves gas in hand for an unhurried exit. What the site asks for is trim rather than depth experience: the passage is divided by rock at close quarters, and a trailing fin in there stirs up silt for everyone behind you.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Medes Islands: Jun–Sep brings the warmest water, calmest seas, and peak grouper and fish activity; most dive centers scale back Dec–Feb.
Know before you go
- The passage is a true overhead divided by pillars and walls; stay off the rock, keep your fins high and follow the guide rather than exploring branches alone.
Dive videos
Medes Islands, Illes Medes 6/12 La Vaca · Buscandoelazul on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the La Vaca tunnel?+
The overall depth is 11 to 25 m. The tunnel is dived within that range, so it stays inside recreational no-stop limits on a normal single-tank profile.
Sources
- La Vaca — Unisub Estartit
- La vaca dive site — Costa Brava Divers
- Meda Gran (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
- Medes Islands — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
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