La Cullerà – Dénia (Cabo de San Antonio reserve, permit)
Guided dive in the Cabo de San Antonio marine reserve that needs a prior permit. It starts at a small watercourse at the base of the cliff and drops past a notch in the wall that gives La Cullerà its name. Divers can enter a cave about 50 m deep into the rock with slipper lobster, meagre and occasionally conger eels; outside, the dive follows the wall towards the cape over large rocks covered in red algae and seagrass with octopus, gilt-head seabream, dusky grouper and meagre. The dive starts at about 9 m and the most interesting part is 10-15 m. Ascent is timed by air supply and a decompression buoy is deployed for boat pick-up.
Facts
- Region: Spain – Valencia coast (Columbretes, Costa Blanca, Tabarca)
- Area: Dénia – Xàbia – Cap de la Nau
- Depth: 9–15 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: moderate
- Type: wall, cave
- Coordinates: 38.81176, 0.1844 (approximate)
- Highlights: 50 m deep cave in the cliff base, slipper lobster, meagre and occasional conger, dusky grouper and octopus on the wall
- Permit: Diving in the Cabo de San Antonio marine reserve (Dénia–Xàbia, within the Montgó Natural Park area) needs a prior permit; the Generalitat's page lists the reserve office contacts but does not describe the application procedure. At the easternmost point of the cape the reserve covers almost all the rocky coves of Les Rotes, where diving is not allowed without authorisation. Dive with the centre that holds the reserve access and ask it for current rules. (Source: Comunitat Valenciana tourism pages)
- Issuer / contact: Parque Natural del Montgó / Cap de Sant Antoni marine reserve office (Generalitat Valenciana)
- Phone: +34 966 42 34 20 / +34 966 42 23 67
- Email: parque_montgo@gva.es
- Tips: Guided only; deploy a surface marker buoy so the boat can pick you up. Ask the reserve office or your centre about the authorisation.