Scuba diving locations in Spain:

• The Medas Islands host shoals of barracuda, jacks, bonito, groupers and eagle rays.
• The marine reserve in Almunecar has lots of marine life, a variety of depths from 9m to 40m and some caverns.
• At  Galicia, most of the diving is around either the offshore islands of Cies and Ons or in the sheltered waters of the rias, with plenty of wrecks.

When to scuba dive in Spain:

The water is 24°C in summer and drops to around 14°C in winter on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic coast is diveable from April to October, the summer water temperature generally being around 20°C, but dropping to dry suit conditions in winter.

Local standards for gear:

The best scuba diving spots in Spain:

• La Calita, around Almunecar & La Herradura, consists of a large sandy seabed with a number of fallen rocks ranging from 3m to 12m. A wall extends out to depths of 40m and this provides and ideal environment for many plant and animal marine species.
• The Pecio De San Andrés in Cádiz was a steel paddle steamer of which only parts are left, notably the stern and paddle wheels.
• La Herradura Playa, east of Malaga has wall dives, reef dives, lots of swim-throughs and little caverns hiding octopus and squid.
• Punta De La Mona's underwater projection reaches down to 52 metres. Encounters with sea bass and Ocean Sunfish are common. At depths of 35 metres there is one of the few existing yellow coral fields.

The best spots to snorkel in Spain:

La Herradura Playa has a variety of coastal formations to explore, hosting a wealth of marine life.

Fun scuba facts:

Country data:

Administrative details

• Currency: Euro (EUR)
• Population: is about 46,000,000 (2010)
• Time Zone: CET (GMT+1), Summer CEST (GMT+2)
• Main languages spoken: Spanish, Basque, Catalan/Valencian, Galician, Occitan ## Diveable overseas territories:

Spanish diving federations:

FEDERACION ESPANOLA DE ACTIVIDADES SUBACUATICAS (FEDAS) is a member of Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS)

Local diving laws and regulations (and PADI-equivalent certifications):

Spanish federal law states that you must be over 16 years of age to scuba dive activities in Spain, however some local autonomous authorites have more relaxed legislation.