The 11 best beaches on the Costa Brava where you can practice snorkeling and scuba diving

Updated June 2022

We are in love with Costa Brava. We are in love with its landscape, its gastronomy, its beaches... but beyond that, Costa Brava offers us a whole world under water! If you like to contemplate the seabed, with the mask, the tube and the fins, or with the diving tank, we leave you the top 11 Costa Brava seabeds where you can practice snorkeling and scuba diving!

1. Cova de la Sal

The Cova de la Sal is located on the coast of Torroella de Montgrí , between Cala Montgó and Punta Milà. You can only access by sea, but it is worth renting a kayak or going on a boat, as it has a small pebble cove ideal for snorkeling. This is a very frequent site for exploration by newcomers, since it is an easy place where they tend to do diving baptisms. The Cova de la Sal is about 20 meters wide and 25 meters high and is well known among the inhabitants of L'Escala.

2. The Red Island

Illa Roja is a quiet nudist beach, located beneath a cliff that divides it into two where you can only access it by walking along the coastal path that joins Pals and Begur. This setting of reddish pines and rocks makes it an idyllic beach with cleared waters and rocks where you can enjoy its background. Illa Roja is surrounded by rock walls, which causes that in the afternoon there is no more sun.

3. Illa Mateua

At the bottom of the waters of this cove of L'Escala you can see the famous Constantin wrecked boat, therefore it is an ideal place to practice scuba diving and feel like a true explorer. It is also one of the starting points of one of the two open water routes that L'Escala has, where you can practice swimming in the open sea.

4. Cala de Les Roques Plans

This cove, located between the Platja Gran beach in Platja d'Aro and Torre Valentina beach, in Calonge, stands out for the rounded shapes of its rocks. It is also known as the Cala de les Roques Blanques, since it emphasizes the whitish color of its rocks in comparison to those of the environs. Its turquoise blue background on the white rocks becomes ideal for practicing snorkeling!

5. Medes Islands

What to say about the Medes Islands that we have not already said? You can only access by boat and are currently one of the most important flora and fauna reserves in the western Mediterranean. A very good option if you do not have sea transport is to approach one of the many companies that offer a guided tour. Put on your mask and let yourself be carried through this aquatic universe.

6. Cala del Sr. Ramon

Cala del Sr. Ramon has a spectacular sandy sea bottom and turquoise water, this beach between Tossa de Mar and St. Feliu de Guíxols will not leave you indifferent. To access it you will have to take a fair walk after leaving the vehicle in the car park next to the road, but we are sure you will not regret it!

7. Cala Rostella

Between Cala Murtra and Cala Montjoi, Cala Rostella is a virgin beach with abundant animal and vegetable life. The navy blue of the rocks under the sea contrasts with the turquoise blue of the water on the sand. An idyllic cove for scuba divers and snorkel lovers. To access it we will have to leave the car and go down a rocky path that has an unevenness of about 90 meters. This may seem negative to some, but for us it is very positive, since this makes it a not busy cove even in summer.

8. Cala Jugadora

Located in the eastern area of Cap de Creus, it has the peculiarity that is protected from the Tramuntana wind and its waters are usually quiet, transparent and paradisiacal. Ideal to see its seabed and its plentiful rocky islets. In this cove, geology acquires a great role, perhaps even more than its vegetation.

9. Cala Tavallera

It is a cove where ideally it is reached by sea. If it is not possible, you have time and enthusiasm, you can access it by taking a 2 hour walk out of Port de la Selva following GR-11. Anyway, it can not be reached by car, but we make sure that the reward is spectacular. An out of this world pleasure is to contemplate there the sunrise. A beach that is within our top 10 of the thousands of the Costa Brava.

10. Sa Tuna

In the center of Begur we find one of the most picturesque beaches of Costa Brava and a very good option if you want a practical place and with a nearby environment: it has parking, showers and lifeguard service. It is a cove of pebbles and crystalline waters, which causes its seabed to be worthy of contemplation.

11. Cova de l'Infern

The Cave of Hell, located in the Cap de Creus Natural Park, is the name given to this underwater cave because of the reddish colours of the seabed at sunrise. To get there you will have to set off on foot from the Cap de Creus lighthouse and walk for 10 minutes to enjoy this marvel of nature.

We fall in love with Costa Brava seabed, it allows us to disconnect and to connect with the most essential nature. Because when you are under the waters of the Mediterranean coast you enter an unknown, different and magical  world! Mask, tube, fins and enjoy the maximum of these beaches on the Costa Brava where you can practice snorkeling and scuba diving!

Here's a map with the location of these beaches and coves: