Menorca, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is one of the best-kept secrets of Mediterranean diving.
Menorca, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is one of the best-kept secrets of Mediterranean diving. Its jewel is the Northern Marine Reserve, over 5,000 hectares protected since 1999 between Fornells bay and Cap Gros, where marine life has recovered to spectacular levels. Add caves, wrecks and walls along a coast far less crowded than other islands, with clear waters from May to October and centres working in small groups.
Diving in Menorca means exploring one of the best-preserved coastlines in the western Mediterranean. The Northern Marine Reserve, created in 1999 and covering over 5,000 hectares, stretches from Fornells bay to Cap Gros and is divided into zones of varying protection; sport diving is allowed across much of it with authorisation, and trips usually depart from Fornells at Open Water level. The result is abundant life —groupers, dentex, barracuda, moray eels and large shoals of fish— over rocky seabeds, caves and posidonia meadows. The island also holds wrecks for every level, from accessible remains to the Francesquita, at around 50 metres near Punta Nati, reserved for technical diving. The optimal season runs from May to October, when underwater visibility peaks; in spring the water can turn murky below 25 metres. Ciutadella in the west and Fornells in the north hold the main centres, which work with PADI and SSI certifications and favour small groups.
First time diving? Try it before you certify with a discover scuba dive in Menorca.
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