Punta Rasa caves (Ses Coves)
On the west side of Formentera, just before Cala Saona, steep cliffs fall into the sea and the same folds continue underwater. The dive starts about 30 m off the wall on a sandy bed at 12 m, then heads east to the first cave, a large rocky porch about 20 m long with sponge-covered walls and a circular route that is dark in places; a second cave sits at about 8 m around a pronounced point. Tourism pages list corvina (brown meagre), octopus, moray eels and groupers; the catalogue also mentions slipper lobsters, forkbeard and many shrimps. A torch is advised. The cave coordinates are those printed in the Consell de Formentera dive catalogue (given there only to the minute).
Facts
- Region: Spain – Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera
- Area: Formentera
- Depth: 10–14 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: moderate
- Type: cave, reef, bay
- Coordinates: 38.68333, 1.38194
- Highlights: two sea caves with light effects, slipper lobsters, moray eels and groupers, Posidonia and small islets
- 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: Catalogue rating: all levels, max 14 m. A small area of reserve water – authorisation via the centre.