World | Balearics | Diving Mallorca:

Mallorca overview

Reefs:

• Andritxol
• El Toro
• Grobe Reef
• Malgrats

Caves:

• Madonna Cave

Resources & Links:

Dive Centers:

• M.A.D. Divers - Mallorca
• Octopus Dive Centre
• Scuba Mallorca

Other Information Online:

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Scuba Diving in Mallorca

Reader Reviews:

Dive Site: Grobe Reef

Location: Cala d'Or, Mallorca

Description: Reef

Depth: 5 - 33 metres (16 - 108 feet)

Visibility: 20 metres (65 feet)

Rating: ***

Lying surprisingly close to the shoreline a large rock reef runs perpendicular. This is known as Grobe Reef and is located just outside the entrance to Cala Gran bay, near Cala d'Or. The dive starts in the 5m shallows which can succumb to some surge. The rock is covered in weeds and parazooanthids (yellow star corals). The water is light below and quite warm at this depth.

Progressing, various dips and scoops in the rock are encountered where many a colourful starfish, red tube squirts, octopus, morays and scorpionfish have made their homes. The reef is approximately 15-20m wide, and the wall edges drop sharply and vertically away to the depths below. Descending, patches of bright white sand are encountered interspersed with healthy green seagrass beds. With the reef on the right the dive continues to the end, some 60m out. This gradually deepens to 33m and at about 28m the warm water turns cool as divers pass through a thermocline.

Slightly to one side on the sand, lies the wreck of the small boat. Little remains aside from a few pieces of wooden hull, the keel woods and little pieces of the stern propeller shaft. It's pleasant to just tour around it, and many of the metal is covered in encrusting sponge. Moving back towards the reef, the course comes along the other reef flank, and at about 15m a huge lawn of seagrass is encountered. Shoals of smaller fish are spotted, flashing this way and that, but further up in the bright sunlight a large shoal of barracuda patrol the reef. Their bodies reflecting silver in the sun; they eye warily the divers ascending close to them and back to the starting point and safety stop.

Tony Gilbert

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