10 caves · down to 100 m · 7 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in Alicante and Murcia
- Caves10
- Max depth100 m
- Water temperature29–31 °C
- Dive centres8
Diving and fills
Dive here with
3 more who guide here
Fills nearby
- Fill stationDivergente BuceoAir (own fill station); ask about nitrox, trimix and O₂Route ↗
- Fill stationIslas Hormigas Diving Center'A full range of standard gas mixes' and Sofnolime; ask which mixes exactlyRoute ↗
- Fill stationPlaneta AzulNot published – askRoute ↗
Why come here
The Levante has two serious caves that lie far apart. The Cova del Moraig near Benitatxell is a brackish outflow under the sea, more than 3 km long and dropping past a shaft at -42 m to about -100 m: plan your gas for that depth. The Cueva del Agua at Isla Plana is a warm maze of more than 7 km with water of 29–31 °C, diveable all year, but with very fine silt that often takes visibility to zero and air chambers whose air you must not breathe.
Alongside them are easy sea caves around Cabo Tiñoso, Cabo Cope and Tabarca, for open water and cavern divers and good for a relaxed day. There is no permit system for the caves, but after the fatal accident of January 2025 a working group is looking at measures for the Cueva del Agua, so the rules may change. In the Cabo Tiñoso and Tabarca marine reserves local dive centres arrange the authorisation; Cartagena is the practical base.
Don't miss
- Cueva del Agua (Isla Plana): below 6 m the water turns 29–31 °C and you swim through a maze of parallel passages with colourful walls and fragile mud stalactites.
- Cova del Moraig: here the Benissa karst aquifer flows out under the sea, brackish, at times more than 1,000 l/s, with a halocline at the entrance.
- Cueva del Lago: you surface in a lake under a huge air dome, more than 42,000 m³ according to Murcia tourism.
- Cueva de Neptuno (Cueva de la Virgen): a sump leads into an inner lake of clear blue water, where in calm seas you can see the fresh and salt water separate.
On a rest day
- Roman Theatre of Cartagena: The Roman theatre in the centre of Cartagena, with a museum on what was found there.
- Calblanque: A regional park east of Cartagena with unspoilt beaches and dunes.
- Castillitos Battery: A coastal battery from 1933–1936 on top of Cabo Tiñoso, with two 381 mm Vickers guns and buildings made to look like a medieval castle.
All 10 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Mushroom (Moraira)Backmount · Cavern | 17 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cova del Llop Marí (Tabarca)Backmount · Open water / no overhead | 4 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Cova del MoraigSidemount · Full cave | 100 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Cueva de la Virgen (Cabo Cope)Backmount · Open water / no overhead | 25 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Cueva de Neptuno (Cueva de la Virgen)Backmount · Cavern | 15 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cueva del Agua (Isla Plana)Sidemount · Full cave | 34 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Cueva del Elefante (Altea)Backmount · Cavern | 14 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cueva del LagoBackmount · Open water / no overhead | 12 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Cuevas de La Loberica (Cabo Tiñoso)Backmount · Cavern | – | Backmount | Cavern |
| Sima DestapadaSmall cylinders / no-mount · Full cave | 25 m | Small cylinders / no-mount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
8 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Dive centre
Celacanto (Centro de Buceo Celacanto)
Calle Sardinal 4, local 8, 03590 Altea
- SSI, ACUC
- Cueva del Elefante (Altea)
Dive centre
Darkside Explorer (Mutxamel, Alicante)
Calle Barrella 4, 03110 Mutxamel
- CCR · TDI
Dive centre
Divergente Buceo
Carretera Cartagena 106, 30868 Isla Plana (Cartagena)
- Air
- Full cave, Sidemount
- Cueva del Agua (Isla Plana)
- Dive equipment
Dive centre
Islas Hormigas Diving Center
Paseo de la Barra 15, 30370 Cabo de Palos
- 'A full range of standard gas mixes' and Sofnolime
- CCR · GUE, SSI, PADI, IANTD, FEDAS
- Cuevas de La Loberica (Cabo Tiñoso), Cueva del Agua (Isla Plana)
- GUE JJ and RB80 frames, steel sidemount cylinders, Suex scooters, 2 L and 3 L rebreather cylinders
Dive centre
KISS Sidewinder Spain / Aquatek (San Javier)
Avenida Los Pozuelos 95, 30720 San Javier
- Cavern, Intro to cave, Full cave, Sidemount, CCR · TDI
- Cueva del Agua (Isla Plana)
Fill station
Planeta Azul
Paseo Dimas Ortega 24, 30370 Cabo de Palos
- Not published – ask
Dive centre
Rivemar
Ctra. a La Azohía 151, 30868 Cartagena
- Technical centre
- Full cave, CCR, Trimix · SSI
- Cueva del Lago, Cuevas de La Loberica (Cabo Tiñoso)
Dive centre
Scuba Moraira
Coast road, Moraira (Teulada); boat in Moraira marina
- Not published – ask
- SSI
- Cova del Moraig, Big Mushroom (Moraira)
- Wide rental range
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Cartagena and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Cartagena, Mazarrón, Santa Pola, Alicante, Moraira, Xàbia
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- CartagenaBooking.com ↗
- MazarrónBooking.com ↗
- Santa PolaBooking.com ↗
- AlicanteBooking.com ↗
- MorairaBooking.com ↗
- XàbiaBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112. DAN Europe: +39 06 4211 5685.
- Hyperbaric chamber 24/7: Unidad Médica Hiperbárica, C/ Españoleto 13, 30204 Cartagena, tel. +34 968 081 160 / +34 968 330 033. Valencia area: Instituto de Medicina Hiperbárica, C/ Emparrado 3, 46920 Mislata, tel. +34 963 134 111 (ask about 24-hour availability).
Access and rules
- No permit system for cave diving: the Cueva del Agua and the Cova del Moraig are freely accessible. After the fatal accident of January 2025 a working group (Guardia Civil, firefighters, diving clubs, experts) is looking at measures for the Cueva del Agua – rules may change.
- Marine reserves: Cabo Tiñoso (since 2016/2017) – in most zones diving only with prior authorisation, partly an integral reserve; Tabarca (since 1986) – prior authorisation, no diving in the integral zone beyond La Nao islet. Local dive centres arrange the authorisation.
Water and season
- Cueva del Agua and Sima Destapada: water 29–31 °C, diveable all year – thin wetsuit, drink enough and watch for overheating.
Getting around
- Cala del Moraig (Benitatxell): parking is regulated from 1 April to 15 October – check the conditions with the town hall.
- The sites are far apart: the Moraig is ~2 h drive from Cartagena; plan it as a separate part of the trip (base Moraira or Xàbia).
Good to know
- Guiding and training: Divergente Buceo (Isla Plana) guides in the Cueva del Agua and runs cave and sidemount courses; Rivemar (La Azohía) is a trimix and CCR training centre. No CCR or scooter rental found – ask. The coast at Altea has sea caves too: Celacanto (Altea) dives the Cueva del Elefante, a shallow sea cave with an air chamber.
News
News articles that mention one of the caves in this region, collected automatically and not checked by us.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines.
Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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