Explore Barcelona

Barcelona is the biggest city in Spain and the capital city of the Catalonia region. Famous for its gothic architecture, Catalan culture, vibrant food and sparkling ocean, Barcelona is the city that offers it all -  and diving is no exception. The Costa Brava coast, on which Barcelona is located, has incredible natural beauty with craggy cliffs against a backdrop of cerulean ocean and getting underwater and diving is the perfect way to experience this. 

There are a number of dive centres located around Barcelona, but as they are not centrally located, doing your research online would be beneficial. All of these dive centres offer beginner dive courses all the way up to divemaster as well as specialties like cave and drysuit diving. There are no dive resorts in Barcelona, nor liveaboards, though you can find both in the nearby Balearics. 

The warm summer waters and cooler winter oceans ensure a wide variety of marine life. The rugged rock formations above the water are echoed in the world below, with caves, cliffs and drop offs making every dive an adventure. There are a number of shipwrecks to explore for the more experienced diver while beginner divers will love the easy entries from the many sandy beaches.

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Diving in Barcelona

Barcelona diving is ideally suited to all levels of divers, from complete novices to seasoned professionals. The abundant shore dives along the beautiful Catalonian shoreline offer easy access to many dive sites, along with easily variable depths. These sites are great for all and feature mazes of coral, drop offs and swim throughs to keep everyone happy.

One of the most popular draws for more experienced divers are the wrecks found in the area. The 115m long Reggio Messina was deliberately sunk in order to create a dive site and it is now densely populated with marine life. Another option for the adventurous (and sufficiently qualified) is the chance to cave dive. The limestone cliffs of the region are famous riddled with caverns suitable for diving, though this is not for the faint hearted! This is also not also offered by all dive centres so check before you book.

Dive Centers

POSIDONIA DIVE

POSIDONIA DIVE

Port Balis, 08392 Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, B - Spain
MIGUEL LOZANO GRANDE

MIGUEL LOZANO GRANDE

Moll del Mestral 30, 08005 Barcelona, B - Spain
divertysub, escuela de buceo

divertysub, escuela de buceo

Calle Mestre Serradesanferm nº 9 local 2, 08032 Barcelona, B - Spain
NEXTGEN DIVING TRAVEL S.L.

NEXTGEN DIVING TRAVEL S.L.

Carrer dels Morabos 10C - Local 2, 08004 Barcelona, B - Spain

SCUBA STUNT ACADEMY

Carrer de la Circumvallacio 24, 08210 Barbera del Valles, B - Spain

APNEA NATURA

Calle Sant Miquel 6, 08003 Barcelona, B - Spain

Saita Diving

Pallars 505 6è 4a, 08930 Barcelona, B - Spain

Vanas Dive

Av. del Litoral, 86-96 Complex esportiu La Mar Bella, 08005 Barcelona, B - Spain

EASY DIVING

C/ Port de Mataro Local 19-20, 08301 Mataro, B - Spain

BUCEBUCEA

CALLE SANT PERE 12, 08930 SANT ADRIA DE BESOS, B - Spain

Disfrutones Diving Club

Port de Badalona, 08912 Badalona, B - Spain

Dive Sites

Scubapro, Stephen Frink
Piscinas Forum <span class="text-color-primary text-sm"> (★4.5)</span>

Piscinas Forum (★4.5)

A very easy dive, provided visibility is acceptable. The most interesting part is around the columns and white platform. There’s a round-trip route. Entrance via stairs. Maximum depth 6 meters.

The best Months to Dive in Barcelona

Diving in Barcelona is possible year round, but the cool waters mean that a wetsuit is always necessary and some companies offer drysuit diving during the winter months. The water temperatures range from 20°C in the height of summer (June - August) and drop to 12°C in January and February. 

The climate above the water is pleasant year round but the warmest months are from May to August, when daytime temperatures routinely stay above 30°C. This is also the busiest time of year, when excursions and hotels book up fast and prices are at their highest. 

The rainiest months are September and October, though the overall rainfall is low in Spain and rain showers can happen at any time. As a result, the best visibility is from January to August, when it can be more than 30m. 

Top Wildlife Sightings in Barcelona

The big temperature variations of the Barcelona waters mean that it doesn’t feature the vibrant coral reefs found in more tropical regions, but it is certainly not lacking for marine encounters. Some corals, sponges and anemones are found and boast lots of fish life including wrasse, groupers, bream and other fish. Also hiding amidst the rocks are playful octopus, intimidating moray eels and camouflaged scorpionfish. The eagle eyed might enjoy looking for tiny, colourful nudibranch, sea horses and anemone crabs. 

In slightly deeper water, you may experience schooling fish such as barracuda and cod. Though they are rare, it has been known to see eagle rays, turtles and even the giant mola mola! Dolphins are more commonly seen alongside boats than by divers, but it is certainly not unheard of.

Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 300

Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus

Octopus
147 Sightings
J
0
F
3
M
0
A
1
M
4
J
33
J
52
A
18
S
15
O
15
N
4
D
2

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 200

Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel

Moray Eel
15 Sightings
J
0
F
2
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
2
J
2
A
2
S
5
O
1
N
1
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 3000

SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch

Nudibranch
37 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
1
M
1
J
16
J
13
A
1
S
3
O
2
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 120

SSI-Peter-Schinck
Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish
28 Sightings
J
0
F
1
M
3
A
4
M
11
J
5
J
0
A
1
S
0
O
2
N
1
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 7000

iStock-Michael Zeigler
Crab

Crab
21 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
3
J
16
A
1
S
0
O
0
N
1
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 250

iStock-Miguel-Angelo-Silva.
Scorpionfish

Scorpionfish
17 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
13
A
2
S
2
O
0
N
0
D
0
AdobeStock-_italo
Moon Jellyfish

Moon Jellyfish
11 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
1
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
7
S
3
O
0
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 190

Alamy-Water Frame
Conger Eel

Conger Eel
10 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
2
M
0
J
0
J
3
A
2
S
2
O
1
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 110

iStock-Rainer von Brandis
Snapper

Snapper
8 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
2
M
0
J
0
J
2
A
1
S
3
O
0
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 120

AdobeStock-Composer.
Flounder

Flounder
8 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
5
A
2
S
1
O
0
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 80

iStock/Extreme-Photographer
Stingrays

Stingrays
7 Sightings
J
0
F
1
M
0
A
1
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
4
O
0
N
1
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 60

Shutterstock-Laura Dinraths
Electric Ray

Electric Ray
7 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
1
M
0
J
0
J
3
A
2
S
0
O
1
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 250

Shutterstock-Henry_and_Laura_Whittaker
Grouper/Basslets

Grouper/Basslets
7 Sightings
J
0
F
1
M
0
A
0
M
1
J
0
J
2
A
0
S
3
O
0
N
0
D
0
Alamy-WaterFrame
Common Seahorse

Common Seahorse
7 Sightings
J
1
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
1
J
0
J
2
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
1
D
2

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 30

SSI-Peter-Schinck
Stonefish

Stonefish
7 Sightings
J
1
F
0
M
0
A
1
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
3
O
2
N
0
D
0

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 300

Shutterstock_DiveIvanov
Squid

Squid
5 Sightings
J
1
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
1
J
2
A
1
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0