Costa Brava · Spain · Sand slope · Reef
El Pinell
A pool-like training bay from 1 to 8 m
Area photo: Mikipons · CC BY-SA 3.0
A shallow bay used as a confined-water area, with a pool-like feel between 1 and 8 m and a mixed bottom of sand, rock and a posidonia field. It is a short walk from shore, under five minutes, and the listing gives an average of 7 m with a maximum of 12 m — a training site first and a gentle shore dive second.
Where it is and how deep
41.8917° N, 3.1983° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The bay is reached on a short walk from shore, under five minutes with kit, and the water between 1 and 8 m is described as a perfect area for confined-water sessions, with a pool-like environment. That is what it is used for: skills, first breaths, and the parts of a course that need standing depth within reach of the diver doing them.
It is not only a classroom. The bottom is mixed — sandy areas, some rocks and even a posidonia field — so there is ground to search once the drills are done, and the listing gives an average of 7 m with 12 m at the deepest. Boat traffic is the danger named here, as it is at Ullastre I, Ullastre II and the Boreas, so shallow water is not the same thing as a quiet surface.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Costa Brava: Surface water sits near 13 °C from January to March and peaks around 25 °C in August; local guidance is 5 mm in July and August, 7 mm April to June and September to October, drysuit the rest.
Know before you go
- Boat traffic is the listed danger here, so keep the ascent on the shore side of the bay and use a marker anywhere in the open.
Sources
- El Pinell — Scubago
- El Pinell — Wannadive — Wannadive.net
- Palamos town to Cap de Begur — area index — Wannadive.net
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