Guide · Updated November 2026

In 1986 Tabarca became Spain’s first marine reserve. Almost forty years of protection show the moment you put your head underwater: healthy Posidonia meadows and fish you no longer see in other Mediterranean coves. This guide explains what the reserve is, which species you will see, where to snorkel and the rules for diving or boating.

What the Tabarca Marine Reserve is

It is a protected marine area around the island, opposite the port of Santa Pola. It was created in 1986 and extended by around 60% in 2019. Today it covers about 1,754 hectares, with depths from 0 to 40 metres.

• Inner waters (≈ 40%): managed by the Valencian regional government (Generalitat Valenciana).
• Outer waters (≈ 60%): managed by the Spanish State (General Secretariat for Fisheries).

Its aim is twofold: to protect the ecosystem and to allow Tabarca’s small-scale fishermen to keep working with traditional, sustainable methods.

Protection zones

Fish you can see in Tabarca

Protection means more fish, bigger and less shy. With mask and snorkel, close to the shore, you will usually see salema, white seabream, gilt-head bream, damselfish (the juveniles are electric blue), brown meagre, red mullet, octopus and nudibranchs. Groupers, the symbol of the reserve, are easier to see when diving, in crevices from 8–10 m. Moray and conger eels hide in cracks: look, but don’t put your hand in.

Posidonia and fan mussels

The Posidonia oceanica meadows around Tabarca are among the best preserved on the Alicante coast. It is not a seaweed but a flowering plant endemic to the Mediterranean: it oxygenates the water, slows beach erosion and is the nursery for many of the fish you will see. The dead leaves that pile up on the shore are not dirt; they are part of the ecosystem.

The noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis), the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean, used to be common in Tabarca. An epidemic has almost wiped it out. If you see one, do not touch it.

Snorkelling in the reserve

• No permit is needed: just get in from the shore.
• Wear water shoes. The coves are rocky and the main beach is gravel.
• Go in the morning, before the busiest boats arrive and while the water is calmer.
• Stay close to the shore. Boats operate in the area; if you swim further out, use a marker buoy.
• Do not feed the fish or stand on the Posidonia.

More in our snorkelling guide.

Scuba diving: rules and timetable

Scuba diving is allowed, but it requires prior authorisation and is subject to quotas. It is normally done with an authorised dive centre, which handles the permit.

• Quotas per dive site: for example, La Nao and Sur de La Llosa allow 10 dives and 3 boats each; Escull Negre, Escull Roig and the artificial reef, 7 dives and 2 boats.
• Mooring to the dive-site buoy is compulsory.
• Permits for inner waters are issued by the Generalitat Valenciana; for outer waters, by the General Secretariat for Fisheries.

More in our diving guide.

What is banned in the reserve

• Spearfishing, anywhere in the reserve.
• Taking or touching living things: sea urchins, starfish, fan mussels, shells with animals inside…
• Anchoring on Posidonia. Anchors rip up the meadows; use the buoys where available.
• Recreational fishing is heavily restricted and only allowed with specific gear in specific areas. Check the current rules before casting a line.
• Throwing rubbish or cigarette ends, in the sea or on the island.

Professional fishing is allowed, regulated and using traditional methods, for the island’s fishermen.