MARINE RESERVES IN MALLORCA: EL TORO
A PERFECT MARINE RESERVE FOR DIVING
Without any doubt this is the most visited marine reserve by our boats. El Toro is home to the most rich and diverse ecosystem on the island, with all the typical Mediterranean marine fauna: moray eels, groupers, octopuses, scorpion fish, amber jacks, barracudas, nudibranchs, and hundreds of other species that will amaze you due to the abundance of marine life that gathers around this little islet.
Dives for all levels, from beginners to the most experienced ones, since the conditions are ideal for scuba diving.
El Toro marine reserve, together with the Malgrats marine reserve, are the ones closest to our dive center (5-10 minutes). Both are strictly regulated for diving and fishing. Fishing is completely forbidden from May to October, and very restricted during the other months of the year.
With us you will be allowed to dive in this beautiful natural area, and you will contribute to its protection.
The marine area around El Toro is highly biodiverse and has high ecological and fishing value due to the variety of habitats and benthic communities that can be found there. Seagrass meadows of the species Posidonia oceanica cover big extensions, and the rocky bottoms are home to many fish species, several of wich gather here for reproduction reasons.
In 2004 this area was declared a Marine Reserve for fishing interests, which has allowed the recovering of several fish populations such as the groupers, the dentex, and the white seabreams. The great abundance and diversity of marine life that this area is home to makes it ideal for the recreational diving, and one of the most requested dive sites.
El Toro clearly shows how efective the protection efforts can be to restore marine habitats and species to almost their original state.
The marine reseve of El Toro can be enjoyed by divers of all levels in 6 different dive sites. Its platform at 5 m all around the islet is perfect to start and end the dive with the safety stop. There we can already observe a variety of fish species and octopuses. A smooth slope takes you down to 15-20 meters of depth where groupers, moray eels, octopuses, and many other species dwell. This area is perfect for initial level divers. For those who wish to dive deeper, at 35-40 meters you can find other species like john dorys, congers,…
If you come to Mallorca you shouldn’t miss these dives.You’ll love it!