Cave diving in Catalonia
Deep, silty springs in the Pre-Pyrenees (Font Bordonera, Forat de l'Or), an expedition sump in the Cerdanya, and easy sea caves and tunnels at the Medes Islands, along the Montgrí coast and at L'Escala.
10 sites · down to 80 m · 7 suitable for an intro team
All 10 sites
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Font Bordonera | 80 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Les Cambres (L'Escala) | 22 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Cova de la Fou de Bor | 61 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Cova de la Vaca (Illes Medes) | 25 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Coves de Cala Viuda | 20 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Coves de Port Salvi | 25 m | Not known yet | Open water / no overhead |
| La Foradada (Cap Castell) | 12 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Forat de l'Or | 73 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Túnel de la Pedrosa (Illa Pedrosa) | 24 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Túnels del Dofí (Illes Medes) | 28 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112. Hyperbaric chambers: Hospital de Palamós (C/ Hospital 36, Palamós, +34 972 600 160) and Hospital Moisès Broggi (C/ Jacint Verdaguer 90, Sant Joan Despí, +34 935 531 200) — call 112 first. DAN Europe: +39 06 4211 5685.
Access and rules
- Medes Islands: marine reserve within the Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter (since 2010). Every dive needs a permit arranged by an authorised dive centre, with a daily quota; according to one source €5.15 per person plus a federation licence or diving insurance.
- Montgrí coast (Illa Pedrosa, La Foradada, Cala Viuda): same natural park, boat access only from L'Estartit or L'Escala. Ask your dive centre about the current park rules.
- Pre-Pyrenees: Font Bordonera and Forat de l'Or are exploration caves with sediment, restrictions and deep sections; no permit system is known. Font Bordonera supplies water to Organyà — ask locally.
Gas and fills
- Fills: trimix at Freatic Sports in Barcelona (~2 h 15 from Organyà); no fill station is known around Organyà, so bring gas and a booster. On the Costa Brava: ask the centres in L'Estartit.
Water and season
- Altitude: Font Bordonera ~765 m, Fou de Bor ~1,160 m — set your computer for altitude.
- Water levels: Forat de l'Or and Fou de Bor (back-)flood after rain; plan them for a dry spell.
Safety
- Accident: in August 2012 a diver died in a narrow, unmapped sea cave near Les Betes (Montgrí coast) at ~-45 m; the passages were 0.8–2 m high and stirred-up sediment killed the visibility. Do not enter unknown sea caves without cave training.
Plan a cave diving trip to Catalonia
Enter your team, with certifications, gas and configurations, and see right away which caves fit. With driving times from your stay, fill stations and an AI instructor who thinks along.
Compiled from web research (EspeleoWorld, club blogs, Costa Brava Divers, wannadive, Wikipedia, Time Out, ScubaBoard, dive centres; Sept 2026). Pins from EspeleoWorld, wannadive and the Organyà council; ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally. Les Cambres: Orca Diving, Scuba Spot Advisor and OpenStreetMap (via Mapcarta).