Costa Brava — Sant Feliu de Guíxols

Four centres work this coast. Sublimits is on Carrer Cristòfol Colom in Sant Feliu and sells boat dives at €45; Varadero Dive sits on the beachfront at Plaça Pau Casals and runs shore and boat dives into the Port Salvi tunnels and caves, with thirty years' experience by its own account; Piscis Diving has been resident at the Club Nàutic since 1999; and Dossotaigua dives the same sites from Platja d'Aro in an 11-seat boat. Most dives are short boat runs, but the Port Salvi caves can be entered from the beach, though the catalogue calls that access difficult and recommends the boat, and La Llosa de Platja d'Aro is two minutes out of Port d'Aro. Two of the centres state that they dive all year.

The caves are the reason to come. A canyon at 20 m leads to the entrance below the Eden Roc hotel; divers go in on the north side at 25 m and out to the south at 20 m. Moray eels are the most logged animal there by a wide margin, then octopus, barracuda, scorpionfish and grouper, with lobsters when the water is cold. The rest is rock: La Red is a wall from 15 to 30 m, Planetes is five rocky spurs at 10–25 m, La Llosa opposite the port spans 5–24 m and Les Balelles drop to 22 m. Secaïns, inside a protected cove, holds plenty of small life and nudibranchs in particular, with barracuda passing often; the gap between its inner rocks and the shore is only 3 m deep, so boats are a hazard there.

It suits divers staying in Sant Feliu or Platja d'Aro who want a proper cave dive without a long transfer, and beginners are well served: Piscis trains at Les Sofreres because it is shallow and sheltered from wind and boats, and La Llosa de Platja d'Aro is listed for beginners and photographers. The caves are rated CMAS two-star or Advanced Open Water, and the two deep sites are Montilivi at 20–34 m, where Nitrox is recommended, and El Jardín y la Red at 26–35 m. No marine reserve, permit or diving fee is recorded for this coast. Divers who want reserve-grade fish should carry on north to the Medes Islands off L'Estartit; jellyfish stings are a summer hazard along the whole Costa Brava.