Medes Islands · Spain · Reef · Sand slope
Les Ferranelles
Coral beds, posidonia meadow and sand in a single dive
Area photo: Alexandre Albore · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dived on the south side of the Ferranelles islet, the ground described as holding the greatest diversity in the area. Depths run from 5 to 36 metres across coral beds, a band of oceanic posidonia between 8 and 15 metres, and sandy ground from 22 metres down — three habitats inside one dive.
Where it is and how deep
42.0421° N, 3.2255° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Diving is done on the south side of Ferranelles island, and this is the ground described as holding the greatest diversity in the area — which in practice means the dive crosses several habitats rather than working a single face. Depths across the site range from 5 to 36 metres, so the usual plan is to start deep and finish shallow rather than to hold one level.
The middle band is oceanic posidonia, the Mediterranean's seagrass, lying between 8 and 15 metres. It is worth swimming rather than crossing, and the edges where the blades give way to rock make the natural line to follow. Above and around the meadow are the coral beds, on the shallower rock that runs up towards the 5 metre top of the site.
From 22 metres down the bottom turns to sand, and that is a different dive again — open ground to scan rather than structure to follow. The sand continues out to the 36 metre limit of the site, which is where the deep end of a profile here belongs: worked briefly at the start, then left behind for the seagrass and the coral beds for the rest of the tank.
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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Les Ferranelles?+
The site runs from 5 to 36 metres. Coral beds and shallow rock sit at the top, oceanic posidonia between 8 and 15 metres, and sandy bottom from 22 metres down to the site's deep limit.
What makes Les Ferranelles worth diving?+
The south side of the islet is described as the most diverse ground in the area, and the reason is habitat variety in a single dive: coral beds, a posidonia meadow between 8 and 15 metres, and open sand from 22 metres.
Sources
- Les Ferranelles — Scubago
- Isole Medas — Wikipedia (Italian)
- Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park — Wikivoyage
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