Santa Ponsa is a popular holiday resort in the southwest of Mallorca situated around a bay with crystal-clear water that is ideal for scuba diving. It is located only 18km away from Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of the Balearic Islands, belonging to Spain. Just a 10-minute boat ride from the mainland, it is possible to dive the marine reserves of Islas Marlgrats and El Toro, exploring beautiful underwater landscapes, wrecks, caves and cliffs.

Scuba diving in Santa Ponsa is possible from its only dive centre which offers dive courses ranging in level, from enjoying your first dive experience to becoming an Instructor.

In summer, the average air temperature in Santa Ponsa ranges from 24-28°c in summer while in the winter it drops to an average of 13°c. Winter is also the season with the most rain. The high season for Santa Ponsa diving is from May to October when the water temperature is at its most comfortable. In August the water temperature is 25°c while in February it is around 14°c, however, scuba diving occurs year-round as long as you can withstand the cold!

From Santa Ponsa, there is the opportunity to dive at four marine reserves. Three; Islas Malgrats, El Toro, and Isla Dragonera, are located 10-20 minutes away via boat while dive trips are also organised in the summer months to Cabrera National Park. Sites feature underwater canyons and vertical walls. Experience strong currents at sites such as Tramuntana or venture into caves at The Cave of the Window. There are several shipwrecks located in the Bay of Palma, sunk intentionally in the 60s, these wrecks command cockpits, chimneys, holds and decks that are often accessible and provide fun swim-throughs for divers.

The marine parks are home to diverse and rich ecosystems with all the typical Mediterranean fauna such as moray eels, groupers, octopus, scorpionfish, amberjacks and nudibranch. With the fishing activities completely forbidden or strongly restricted at the marine reserves, marine life has undergone a great increase. Big schools of barracuda can be regularly observed while scuba diving here and the towering vertical walls of Isla Dragonera invite large schools of pelagic such as tuna. On a day trip to Cabrera National Park, there are more than 500 species of marine fauna, from cuttlefish to sea turtles and dolphins.

El Toro is the most visited marine reserve, starting with a dive on a 5-metre platform that forms into a vertical drop-off down to 18-metres. Stunning rock formations house an incredible diversity of life, from seahorses to conger.

Sa Madona is a huge cave located near Cala Llamp, the site features two caverns with air pockets where you can ascend inside the cave and breathe fresh air. The main attraction is a sculpture of Madonna in the far right corner of the cave.

One of the most pleasant dive sites in Mallorca is Isla del Sec. Possible for divers of all levels, in the deepest part of the site, three sunken fishing boats are found, surrounded by barracudas, nudibranchs, moray eels, and groupers.