Es Banc

A shallow rocky platform just before El Arco, reached by boat from La Savina. From the platform a vertical wall drops to a sandy bottom at about 21–22 m, with cavities and cracks, false coral, sponges with small nudibranchs and the occasional grouper. Further on there is a wide arch with a window-like hole in the roof where barracuda, sea bream and brown meagre gather, and sometimes a seahorse; the return crosses a good Posidonia seagrass meadow. Position from the Consell de Formentera dive catalogue.

Facts

• Region: Spain – Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera
• Area: Formentera
• Depth: 6–21 m
• Level: beginner
• Current: moderate
• Type: reef, wall, cave
• Coordinates: 38.72565, 1.38985
• Highlights: arch with a window in the roof, barracuda and sea bream shoals, seahorses possible, Posidonia meadow
• Permit: Inside the Freus d'Eivissa i Formentera marine reserve (13,617 ha). Recreational diving in the Balearic marine reserves needs an authorisation from the Govern de les Illes Balears; dive centres on the Balearic register hold it and arrange it for guided dives, individual divers need a valid certification. Sources conflict: the Formentera tourism page says scuba diving is strictly forbidden throughout the reserve, while the Govern's authorisation page and the Consell's dive catalogue list Es Freus sites as authorisable – dive with a local centre and confirm current rules.
• Issuer / contact: Govern de les Illes Balears – Direcció General de Pesca i Medi Marí, Servei de Recursos Marins (marine reserves)
  • Phone: +34 971 17 61 14
  • Website: https://www.caib.es/sites/reservesmarines/es/
• Tips: All levels per the catalogue. Inside the Es Freus reserve – authorisation via the centre.

Sources

• https://www.formentera.es/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cataleg_busseig_ITA.pdf
• https://vellmari.com/inmersiones/
• https://illesbalears.travel/en/formentera/the-best-places-to-dive-in-formentera