Two stretches of the Basque coast in Gipuzkoa, dived by boat. From Pasaia, beside San Sebastián, boats run ten minutes to Pikatxilla, a huge shoal off Mompas with a ridge at 3–5 m, walls to 32 m and a Second World War steamship wreck. At Getaria, boats work about 20 sites around the Ratón de Getaria with maximum depths of 12 to 35 m, and ocean sunfish visit a cleaning station there. Cold Cantabrian water, gorgonians and nudibranchs set the tone.
About diving in San Sebastián & Getaria
Dives here leave by boat from two centres. Buceo Donosti sails from the port of Pasaia, at Pasaia Donibane next to San Sebastián, to the shoals and coves around Mount Ulia and the mouth of Pasaia, with Pikatxilla about ten minutes from the jetty. Buceo Getaria (Ksub) runs to some 20 sites along the Getaria coast; divers arrive at the centre an hour before the boat leaves. From June to September its boats go out Tuesday to Sunday, the rest of the year on Saturdays and Sundays.
The sites are shoals, slabs and walls in the Cantabrian Sea, with sandy bottoms around steep rock off Getaria. Pikatxilla is an east-west wall whose ridge sits at 3–5 m and drops to 30–32 m on the north side, with the remains of a German Second World War steamship on it; a conger eel and a lobster live in its boiler and large pout patrol the area, and the walls carry nudibranchs, squat lobsters and santiaguiños. Off Getaria there is a wide variety of gorgonians, nudibranchs, molluscs and crustaceans, and ocean sunfish come to a cleaning station in front of the Ratón.
The coast suits certified divers comfortable in water that falls to 13 °C in February, and boat dives to 40 m. The Getaria coast, with its harbour of refuge, has calm water sheltered from current and swell, while Pikatxilla is descended on the anchor line because currents are common there. North-westerly winds are the ones that spoil the sea. For other Spanish diving, Tarragona lies on the Mediterranean coast and Illas Cíes & Ría de Vigo on the Galician Atlantic.
Best time to dive San Sebastián & Getaria
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Getaria boats sail Tuesday to Sunday from June to September and only at weekends from October to May; August has the warmest water.
Dive types & marine life
Ocean sunfish (Mola mola) are the species divers come for, visiting a cleaning station in front of the Ratón de Getaria; when they are seen jumping at the surface off Pikatxilla, they may also be met at depth. Gorgonians and nudibranchs are widespread, and a conger eel and a lobster live in the boiler of the Pikatxilla wreck.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Mola mola
- Nudibranchs
Best dive sites in San Sebastián & Getaria
- 1
Pikatxilla
Huge shoal off Mompas: a ridge at 3–5 m, walls to 30–32 m, a WWII steamship wreck; currents are frequent.
- 2
Ksandra
Where sunfish were first seen on dives off Getaria; 14–22 m.
- 3
Tajo Gunboat
The skeleton of a 24 m gunboat; the boat anchors in 7–10 m depending on the tide.
- 4
Los Bajos
Two Getaria shoals a few metres apart, from 13 to 25 m, with a sheer 10 m wall and sand all around.
- 5
Bantxa del Oeste
Submarine shoal at the entrance to Pasaia port, in front of La Plata lighthouse.
- 6
Laminarias
Getaria site between 21 and 32 m.
Site guides
Wall
A rock arch and lobster-filled caves on a deep north wall
Large gorgonians over a rocky south face full of crustaceans
Reef
Mosaic rays in a sheltered cove used for training
Reef
Old anchors and cannons at the sheltered mouth of Pasaia
Reef
A ravine between two slabs, from 12 m down to 22 m
Reef
A small cave holding an old wooden ship's cargo of iron
Reef
Merchant anchors among east-west slabs off Mount Ulia
Wall
A vertical wall from 20 m to 40 m, named for its lobsters
Reef
A broken slab of boulders to zigzag through, with a wall to 32 m
Three wrecks and a sunfish cleaning station around one shoal
An 1895 gunboat skeleton at the mouth of Pasaia
How to get to San Sebastián & Getaria
San Sebastián has a small airport 20 km from the centre, next to Hondarribia; Bilbao airport is 100 km away, with about one bus an hour during the day. Buceo Donosti is in Pasaia Donibane; Getaria lies on the N634 coast road between Zumaia and Zarautz.
Questions divers ask
What certification do the Getaria sunfish dives need?+
Certified divers only; the sunfish dives ask for Advanced Open Water or equivalent. The coast suits divers comfortable in water that falls to 13 °C in February.
When do dive boats sail from Getaria?+
Getaria boats sail Tuesday to Sunday from June to September and only at weekends from October to May. Divers arrive at the centre an hour before the boat leaves.
How do divers get to the San Sebastián dive boats?+
Buceo Donosti sails from Pasaia Donibane next to San Sebastián, with Pikatxilla about ten minutes from the jetty. San Sebastián has a small airport 20 km from the centre, and Bilbao airport is 100 km away.
What conditions affect diving at Getaria?+
The Getaria coast, with its harbour of refuge, has calm water sheltered from current and swell, while Pikatxilla is descended on the anchor line because currents are common there. North-westerly winds spoil the sea.
Sources
- Buceo Donosti - The center — Buceo Donosti
- Buceo Donosti - Dive sites — Buceo Donosti
- Buceo Donosti - Pikatxilla — Buceo Donosti
- Buceo Donosti - Tagus Gunboat — Buceo Donosti
- Buceo Getaria — Buceo Ksub S.L.
- Getaria Sea Temperature — Sea Temperatures
- San Sebastián - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Getaria - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
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