Natural park and world cultural heritage: I was traveling in the extreme southwest of Mallorca and went to the infamous Dragon Island. What we encountered underwater surprised even the experienced diving instructor and diving center owner Mathias Günther. What is diving like at Isla Dragonera in Mallorca? A small diving travel report. 

In San Telmo on Mallorca the clocks are ticking slowly: the displays in the shops are more subtle, the restaurants are more dignified and the small pedestrian zone is not completely overrun by tourists. That could be because you have to find San Telm first! From Andratx diagonally to the west and through a mountainous serpentine road. And Scuba Activa? It is not in the center of the village either, but exactly where it belongs - in the immediate vicinity of the Dragon Island, which is not just a nature park, but in principle the southern extended arm of the Tramontana Mountains.

We heard a lot of good things about the diving spots in the natural park around the small island and that's why we went diving at Isla Dragonera in Mallorca. It's not the first time we've dived in the Balearic Islands either: we've already been diving in Mallorca at the El Toro rock near Santa Ponsa.

Diving at Isla Dragonera on Mallorca – the underwater world in the nature park is so beautiful

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Scuba Activa diving center – local hero on the Dragonera

For our dives we have chosen the small diving school Scuba Activa in San Telmo. Diving instructor and base owner Mathias Günther came to the small, rustic one almost 20 years ago Place came. “Immediately after I became a diving instructor, I packed my things in the van and went. We had chosen the house shortly beforehand and then there was no stopping! ”Reports the native Swabian. Since then, Scuba Activa has been the local hero directly on the Dragonera. The base is small but nice:

A house in the middle of the street with a cozy garden opposite, a fast Zodiac 30 meters away at the jetty and six friendly, attentive diving instructors in high season. “It’s completely enough,” Mathias explains to me over coffee in a chic restaurant around the corner. “We don’t want to be too big, but rather maintain a familiar, friendly relationship with our divers.” This can be easily verified because all of the divers today are repeat offenders and have been there before. There are many dive sites here, but most are safe to do Diving at the Isla Dragonera.

Let's go diving at Isla Dragonera - Scuba Activa is the local hero

Of course we also go into the water. Assisted by the guides, the equipment is assembled in the garden at the base. After the briefing we go across the street and down a small staircase into the bay onto the Zodiac. We set off on a ten-minute drive past the impressive cliffs of the Dragonera, on whose rocks rare birds nest. The Dragonera is also a world heritage site. Today we are heading to a diving site on the south side: it is called “Aquarium”.

The boat rocks quite a lot, but after we have dived, everything is calm - and a bizarre landscape of large boulders in the crystal-clear water prepares in front of us, which looks as if they had all been cut out of ashlars in a mine. The rocks are surrounded by thousands of small fish. Thanks to the exceptionally good visibility, we can look deep into the blue water and it does not take long before a curious swarm of barracudas, silver-gray and timid, approaches us and soon surrounds us.

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Isla Dragonera – Mallorca diving “at its best!”

This is Majorca- Diving "at its best!", I think. Moray eels between the rocks, a grouper here and there - and full of barracudas throughout the dive! It would have been an ordinary, albeit beautiful, dive. But on some days you have a bit more luck: at the foot of the stone wall on the ground there is something that looks like a white plastic bag. But the plastic bag begins to move and comes straight towards us.

Upon closer inspection, what is coming not only becomes gigantic, but turns out to be a winged butterfly ray. What a stroke of luck! You can often see eagle rays here, but this albino with the marbled surface is really an oddity, especially because he is not shy, comes up close with us and dives right in front of us! Mathias and I look at each other in amazement and nod to each other underwater: That was really a crazy spectacle!

Diving center boss reports - Mathias' favorite spot on Isla Dragonera

My favorite dive site is “Aquarium” near Cap Llebeig, the southern tip of the Dragonera. We anchor in the small bay under the Indian Face - a rock formation on the island. We dive towards the southwest on the anchor plateau and are often directly accompanied by larger schools of damselfish, two-banded bream and golden stripes, which are omnipresent here in large numbers.

In between, a huge school of baracudas regularly appears, surrounded by mackerel and tuna. Rays are not uncommon here - they suddenly emerge from the blue water and accompany us on our tour. A grouper family lives at the foot of our steep wall and watches us curiously as we dive past. On our way back we dive through a chimney and discover one or two thread snails and octopuses. In the last few meters we once again enjoy the sun's rays falling into the incredibly clear and warm water and end an all-round successful tour.

Scuba Activa diving center – all information about the dive center

Scuba Activa is located in San Telmo and claims to be the only diving school in the natural park and world heritage site “Dragonera Island”. The small, family base is located in a residential building with an attached, cozy garden just outside the town center. The dive center has been run by owner Mathias Günther since it was founded in 1996. The experienced diving instructor has lived in Spain for many years. He is supported in the summer months by a six-person team of diving instructors. In the afternoon after the dives, guests often sit together with a cold drink in the base's cozy garden.

• Diving training: The training at Scuba Activa takes place according to PADI and CMAS.
• Dive: There are two to three trips every day with the in-house Joker 24 offshore boat. The journey to the over thirty diving sites around Isla Dragonera, including cave and wreck spots, takes between five and ten minutes.
• Prices: A dive including a boat trip costs 38 euros. Complete equipment is available per dive for 17 euros. Discounts are available for early bookings and for three or more dives. You can complete an OWD course including diving for 399 euros, the AOWD is available for 299 euros.
• Features: Scuba Activa offers complete equipment for rental or individual pieces of equipment. 10, 12 and 15 liter bottles are available. Emergency equipment with oxygen, radios and a direct connection to the pressure chamber are a given.
• Info: info@scuba-activa.com - www.scuba-activa.com - www.travel-activa.com - facebook.com/ScubaActiva

Scuba Activa on Isla Dragonera – Anyone who feels comfortable there

Vacationers who value a family atmosphere with warm and absolutely individual care and top service clearly feel most at home here. Scuba Activa focuses very much on class rather than quantity, so that all activities take place in a small setting with an exuberant atmosphere and a lot of fun diving. The small town of San Telmo in the very west of Mallorca is ideal for those seeking peace and quiet and travelers who are looking for a refuge away from mass tourism with good restaurants and cafés. The entire region is part of the protected World Heritage and Serra de Tramontana Natural Park.

Travel information Mallorca

Country	Spain
Language	Spanish, Catalan, Mallorquin (Catalan dialect)
Currency	Euro
Documents	EU, only ID card required for entry
location	About 170 kilometers from the Spanish mainland, at the height of Barcelona.
Size	The seventh largest Mediterranean island, the largest of the Balearic Islands with a total of approx. 3604 square kilometers (including offshore small islands such as Sa Dragonera or the Cabrera Archipelago)
population	about 861 000 (stand 2016), almost half of them live in Palma de Mallorca
How to get there	Airplane or ferry from mainland Spain

Food in Mallorca

The Mallorcan cuisine is a regional offshoot of the Spanish Mediterranean cuisine and overall a bit heartier. In addition to Mediterranean vegetables are fish, meat and vegetable stews and strong soups typical of Mallorca. Popular pastry: Ensaïmada - try it!

Arrival to Mallorca

Direct flights to the Mediterranean island are available from all major German airports.

Health when traveling to Mallorca

In Mallorca, many German doctors have established their own practice. Important for divers: The bases have a mobile pressure chamber center that is on standby for 24 hours a day.

Excursion tips in Mallorca

It is not without reason that Mallorca is the most popular travel destination for Germans: the southwest of the island is very well developed for tourism. There is a lot of activity in the holiday resorts with many restaurants and shopping opportunities. Of course, it's also worth exploring the rest of the island: the mountainous west offers rustic mountain villages. The city of Sóller with its associated harbor Port de Sóller is particularly worth seeing. The lively metropolis of Palma is also always worth a visit. In the far east you should visit the caves of Porto Christo and take a short bathing stop in one of the countless picturesque bays with turquoise water.

Living in Mallorca

In the southwest of Majorca, there are countless simple to upscale hotels with cheap overnight accommodation to the premium house with all-inclusive supply. On personal request and via the in-house booking platform www.travel-activa.com, Mathias Günter offers first-class advice and placement of accommodation around San Telmo and throughout the Southwest.
In addition to the extensive hotel offer, it is also in the region to rent a holiday apartment or a holiday home. From the one-bedroom apartment to the entire house with pool for ten or more people, there is something for every requirement. From the nearby villages of Santa Ponsa, Paguera, Camp de Mar and Andratx / Port Andratx the scuba diving center Scuba Activa can be reached within a few minutes.

Have you ever been to Mallorca for diving or are you planning a trip? Share your experiences in the comments.