Dive in and get wet in L'Estartit
Monday, 11th Jun 2012by El Ship, Master Mariner
First of all let's start with how not to get wet in L'Estartit. That would involve a giant floating banana and a speed boat. Don't even think about it. When Ernest Hemingway got his Nobel prize the judges enthused about his book The Old Man and the Sea and its timeless values of man's relationship with the unfathomable. They also noted that despite the entire book being dominated by water sports it was notably free of mentions of large inflatable fruit. The floating banana just isn't cool. At least not in L'Estartit.
L'Estartit is an area of exceptional natural beauty, certainly when it comes to the sea
If you love Spain you probably already know that the country embraced the original package tourism boom with the kind of indecent haste normally seen in teenage discos at five minutes to closing time. While some parts of the Spanish coast are still pretty much unchanged other resorts have grown up a little and started to distance themselves from water 'sports' where the appeal can be summed up as 'ooh look, you got wet'. Instead the more grown up areas look to make the most of the natural beauty of their area.
L'Estartit is an area of exceptional natural beauty – certainly when it comes to the sea. The wild coast is a head turner at any time and the water temperatures (25 to 30 degrees in summer) and clarity (up to 30m visibility) make the water the place to be.
What can I do?
As with most of the Costa Brava you'll find everything from water skiing, to catamaran hire, wake boarding, and kayaking here. Just bear in mind that some things require a teensy bit of skill and others don't. So for example water skiing is impossibly glamorous but best done by those with beautiful bodies and exemplary balance. Whereas para sailing involves little more than the ability to hold back your screams of terror until you are airborne and thus out of earshot. You can wail for your momma at the top of your lungs but as long as you remember to wave everybody below you will think you are fearless and cool.
Frankly, however, if you're going to play around on the surface of the water you are missing out on the best bit.
The Medes Islands (Illes Medes) is a beautiful dive spot
The rocky coast that gives the Costa Brava its name extends below the waterline and gives the area a fantastic wealth of caves and caverns. Spear fisherman have devastated the larger fish near shore in Spain, but there are certain reserves where you can get a glimpse of how things are meant to be and one of those is the area around the Medes islands.
Make sure your dive centre is accredited by one of the major organisations (which essentially means PADI but some are affiliated to the equally respectable BSAC or CMAS) and remember that if you don't want to breathe from a bottle there are excellent submarine safaris to be had on snorkel. If you don't dive but fancy a go then do a Discover Scuba Diver (bautismo) in half a day and if you want to bring the family you'll find that PADI centres do an introduction called a Bubblemaker for kids as young as 8.
L’Estartit. Talk to me…
L'Estartit is on the Costa Brava (Wild Coast) near Girona between Barcelona and the French border. From Barcelona or France take the AP-7 and come off onto the C66 at exit 6 by Girona and from there head for Torroella to Montgri and L'Estartit.
To dive the Medes islands there are a number centres based in Estartit. Calypso is a PADI centre operating a splendid boat of the same name and can be found in Cala Pedrosa which comes off the Passeig Maritim (the main beach road in Estartit). The Passeig Maritim is also home to Unisub, La Sirena, and Costa Brava divers so don't be afraid to shop around.
Waterskiing, parasailing, and kayaking can be found at Platja de S'Agaró, and nearby Torrella de Montgri is also home to the Mediterranean Cultural Centre in Can Quintana which has childrens' activities for those trying to keep the kids dry. Or if the very thought of getting wet in L'Estartit or anywhere else scares you silly then look for the glass-bottom boat trips run by Subaquatic Vision with its 'Nautilus' fleet.
How much will it set me back?
Water sports in Spain aren't cheap partly thanks to the overheads of insurance and admin fees that the operators face so you can expect even a brief session of parasailing to start at around 45 euros and the cost of a DSD dive course will be anywhere from 70 to 100 euros.
Water temperatures are 25 to 30 degrees in summer and clarity (up to 30m visibility) make the water the place to be
Don't forget to ask for discounts though - if you can rustle up a few friends you will probably be able to get a reduction for the numbers and if you enjoy the diving you should be able to count the cost of your initial course against any further diving or training so make sure you ask in advance if the watersports centre will do a deal to help you carry on. Good watersports centres will always want you to come back and do more, bad ones will be happy to take your money and wave goodbye.
Tags: costa brava, diving / snorkelling
Related holiday pages: Costa Brava, L'Estartit
About the author
El Ship is a Master Dive Instructor and RYA skipper who has worked in and around Barcelona and the Balearics for some years and is currently living in Port de Soller, Mallorca where he charters boats and runs a dive school. When work and a small daughter allow him the time, he takes part in cycling, kayaking, and triathlons and is earnestly engaged in a long term study into exactly which Rioja goes best with olives and aged Menorcan cheese.
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