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.
Dive Activity
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.
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: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
41 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 3000
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 7000
iStock-Michael Zeigler
Crab
20 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 250
iStock-Miguel-Angelo-Silva.
Scorpionfish
14 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 120
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Cuttlefish
12 Sightings
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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.
