L Estartit, Catalonia, Spain

Medas Islands - El Salpatxot

El Salpatxot is one of the most popular intermediate dives of the Medes Islands reserve, named after the dense schools of saddled seabream that hover in the blue above the site. The dive begins on a rocky shoulder at 12 metres and descends along a wall to a wide cavern entrance at 20 metres. The cavern, large enough for a no-overhead recreational visit, is filled with thousands of cardinalfish that pulse in the dim ambient light. Resident dusky groupers patrol the entrance, large lobsters lurk under boulders and the cavern walls host red coral, yellow encrusting cup coral and small gorgonia colonies. Outside the cavern divers find moray eels, scorpionfish, octopus and occasional barracuda. Because the site is sheltered by the south face of the islands, current is normally weak and the maximum depth allows generous bottom time, making El Salpatxot a perfect dive for intermediate divers exploring the reserve.