{"id":5284,"date":"2026-11-04T15:23:05","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/reserva-marina\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T09:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T07:59:58","slug":"tabarca-marine-reserve","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/tabarca-marine-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Tabarca Marine Reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"lt-guia\">\n<p class=\"lt-guia__kicker\">Guide \u00b7 Updated November 2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-guia__lead\">In 1986 Tabarca became <strong>Spain\u2019s first marine reserve<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n<h2>What the Tabarca Marine Reserve is<\/h2>\n<p>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 <strong>1,754 hectares<\/strong>, with depths from 0 to 40 metres.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Inner waters (\u2248 40%):<\/strong> managed by the Valencian regional government (Generalitat Valenciana).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Outer waters (\u2248 60%):<\/strong> managed by the Spanish State (General Secretariat for Fisheries).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Its aim is twofold: to protect the ecosystem and to allow Tabarca\u2019s small-scale fishermen to keep working with traditional, sustainable methods.<\/p>\n<h2>Protection zones<\/h2>\n<div class=\"lt-guia__table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Zone<\/th>\n<th>Where<\/th>\n<th>What is allowed<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Integral reserve<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>The easternmost and deepest part<\/td>\n<td>Maximum protection: no extractive activity at all.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Maximum protection zone<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>East of La Nao islet, on the Bajo de La Nao (La Llosa), at less than 20 m<\/td>\n<td>Very limited uses.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Rest of the reserve<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Around the island<\/td>\n<td>Swimming, snorkelling, boating and authorised diving, following the rules below.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Fish you can see in Tabarca<\/h2>\n<p>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\u201310 m. Moray and conger eels hide in cracks: look, but don\u2019t put your hand in.<\/p>\n<h2>Posidonia and fan mussels<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong><em>Posidonia oceanica<\/em><\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>noble pen shell<\/strong> (<em>Pinna nobilis<\/em>), 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.<\/p>\n<h2>Snorkelling in the reserve<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No permit is needed: just get in from the shore.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wear water shoes.<\/strong> The coves are rocky and the main beach is gravel.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Go in the morning<\/strong>, before the busiest boats arrive and while the water is calmer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay close to the shore.<\/strong> Boats operate in the area; if you swim further out, use a marker buoy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do not feed the fish<\/strong> or stand on the Posidonia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More in our <a href=\"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/activities-on-tabarca-island\/snorkelling-in-tabarca\/\">snorkelling guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Scuba diving: rules and timetable<\/h2>\n<p>Scuba diving is allowed, but it <strong>requires prior authorisation<\/strong> and is subject to quotas. It is normally done with an authorised dive centre, which handles the permit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"lt-guia__table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Period<\/th>\n<th>Days<\/th>\n<th>Hours<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>1 April \u2013 30 September<\/td>\n<td>Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays<\/td>\n<td>8:00 \u2013 18:00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1 October \u2013 31 March<\/td>\n<td>Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays<\/td>\n<td>9:00 \u2013 17:00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Quotas per dive site:<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mooring to the dive-site buoy is compulsory.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Permits for inner waters are issued by the Generalitat Valenciana; for outer waters, by the General Secretariat for Fisheries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More in our <a href=\"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/activities-on-tabarca-island\/diving-in-tabarca\/\">diving guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What is banned in the reserve<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Spearfishing<\/strong>, anywhere in the reserve.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Taking or touching living things<\/strong>: sea urchins, starfish, fan mussels, shells with animals inside\u2026<\/li>\n<li><strong>Anchoring on Posidonia.<\/strong> Anchors rip up the meadows; use the buoys where available.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recreational fishing<\/strong> is heavily restricted and only allowed with specific gear in specific areas. Check the current rules before casting a line.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Throwing rubbish or cigarette ends<\/strong>, in the sea or on the island.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Professional fishing is allowed, regulated and using traditional methods, for the island\u2019s fishermen.<\/p>\n<div class=\"lt-guia__note\">\n<p><strong>Sources:<\/strong> Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Tabarca Island Marine Reserve fact sheet) and Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. Rules may change: if you are going to dive or sail, check them with the reserve or your dive centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<style>.lt-guia{max-width:900px;margin:0 auto;padding:40px 24px 56px;font-family:'Inter',-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,sans-serif;color:#0b1e3f;line-height:1.65;font-size:17px}.lt-guia h2{font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:48px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px}.lt-guia__lead{font-size:19px}.lt-guia__kicker{text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.08em;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;color:#0a7ea4;margin:0 0 8px}.lt-guia ul{padding-left:22px}.lt-guia li{margin:6px 0}.lt-guia__toc{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px;margin:24px 0 8px}.lt-guia__toc a{background:#eef6fa;color:#0b1e3f;border-radius:999px;padding:6px 14px;font-size:14px;text-decoration:none}.lt-guia__table{overflow-x:auto;margin:16px 0}.lt-guia table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px}.lt-guia th,.lt-guia td{border-bottom:1px solid #e3e8ef;padding:10px 12px;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}.lt-guia th{background:#f5f8fb;font-weight:600}.lt-guia__note{background:#fff7e6;border-left:4px solid #f5a623;padding:14px 18px;border-radius:6px;margin-top:40px}.lt-guia__note p{margin:0}@media(max-width:640px){.lt-guia{padding:32px 16px;font-size:16px}.lt-guia h2{font-size:23px}}<\/style>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guide \u00b7 Updated November 2026 In 1986 Tabarca became Spain\u2019s 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5284","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5293,"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5284\/revisions\/5293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/laisladetabarca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}