Ibiza, a coastline full of possibilities

Summer is the perfect time for snorkeling, and in Ibiza we have plenty of amazing spots where you can dive in and be amazed by the island’s excellent underwater landscapes.

So, among the many options the island offers, we head to the coastline of Sant Josep, home to famous coves and beaches such as Cala Tarida, Cala Bassa, Codolar, and others. All of them are thoroughly featured in the Ibiza and Formentera Snorkel Guide, a recent publication that includes more than 50 of the best snorkeling spots in the Pityusic Islands.

Summer is perfect for snorkeling because, unlike scuba diving, you just arrive and jump straight into the water. On those sweltering hot days, when we want to dive with full scuba gear, it can be quite a hassle to set up the equipment—often under a relentless sun—put on the suffocating wetsuit, and make our way to the dive site. But for snorkeling, we simply put on fins, mask, and snorkel (and a good amount of sunscreen) and into the water we go.

Cala Comte in Sant Josep
Our destination is the very well-known Cala Comte in Sant Josep, which is actually a group of small coves. We are going to dive in at the spot located between two restaurants, next to a small jetty from whose platform we can enter the water.

It’s always advisable to carry a buoy that marks our position, but nowadays, with the constant traffic of boats, it is almost essential.

Life and color beneath the water in Cales de Comte

Once in the water, we find a seabed shaped like a large rocky slab. We follow the coastline toward the other end and, if we stay close to the shore, the slab sometimes appears as a chain of medium-sized rocks where we can see the colorful ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo) feeding on sea urchins.

The seabed gradually slopes down until it reaches seagrass and sand at about –3 meters. The continuity of the rocky platform is occasionally interrupted by sandy hollows where we may spot red mullets stirring up the bottom as they hunt for prey. Much harder to encounter is the triggerfish, which we have occasionally seen in these waters and which is usually solitary.

When we reach the other side, the one located below the restaurant S’Illa des Bosc, the wall drops more sharply in a stepped formation down to the sand at around –5 meters, with a few scattered rocks standing out along the way.

This point can be a good reference to turn around and head back to the starting point after a refreshing swim through Cala Comte, one of the best coves in Ibiza.