Good day to all of you. I am new to this site but I´ll be checking in regularly. I am based in Mallorca and would be happy to hear from any other freedivers. Have fun and stay safe.
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Naomi,
There are a few good sites here but I think you will find that the S Pacific was better for marine life. My strongest recommendation for a day out is Cala Varcas on the East Coast- lots of caves to swim through and a beautiful place all round but not very deep. Mar Balear dive school in Port Adriano sometimes organises freediving trips and there are lots of spearfishers here. The hard part here in Mallorca is access to deep water without a boat but nonetheless there are some good dive sites. Also try Illetes, Banyalbufar, Estellencs, Malgrat Islands- anywhere that is rocky rather than sandy. Do you speak Spanish or Catalan? If so, call in to Isurus Dive Shop in Palma and they can give you plenty of advice and they run a training club, spearfishing trips etc. What level do you dive to?
If you like, you can call or text me on 606 649 619 but I am not available as much as I would like- I have two young children to occupy my time now! As for me, I plan to get my SSI or AIDA instructor qualification later this year and maybe start a school here in Mallorca, although it depends on the demands of family life. Most of my diving has been outside Mallorca (- I travelled a lot with work until recently-) but I will be happy to find someone here with whom I might dive. I am a little out of practice but I usually find that a week or two of daily dives brings me back in form and the summer diving season is close. Tomorrow, I expect the arrival of a Waterways Monofin which will give me some more motivation.
Yay!! Sounds awesome
Lots of information there, thanks so much.
Are you planning on going freediving at all this weekend?
I am yet to buy a new wetsuit for over here, would three mm be thick enough?
Yes, If you wish to spearfish (or do any sort of fishing) in the Balearic Islands, you need a licence: The procedure is simple but if you do not speak Spanish or Catalan then you may need some assistance from a friend, just for translation: (1) Get a medical clearance from a doctor- a scuba medical is acceptable or download a form from fdbas.com (Federacion Balear de Activadades Subaquaticas) - click on the Licencias Federativas tab and select the Certificad Medica and take this to a doctor- it is a very basic medical. (2) Take the completed medical form plus identifaction ( such as passport) and 4 passport photos to the FDBAS office at the Palma Stadium (all of the sporting federation offices are on the lower floors). They will register you and the 12 month membership including insurance. I think it costs about 60 Euros. (3) Take all of the paperwork to the Fisheries Ministry in Palma - get directions from the FDBAS office. Fill in the forms here and pay a small fee (about 25 Euros, I think) and they will process the licence right away. Renewals can be done online. If you do not speak Catalan or Spanish then I STRONGLY recommend taking a translator to the fisheries office. Note: The licence application takes only a few hours and is cheap. Getting caught fishing without a licence, including spearfishing, will cost you a fine of 20,000 Euros or more. Get the licence! Also, they have plenty of information on restrictions on catch size, marine reserves, protected species etc.Welcome. Looks like a great place to holiday/spearfish. Considering it for a vacation this year. Is it necessary to get any paperwork to spearfish? (Although, it is tempting just to stick a mask & snorkel in my bag.)
Tyler, What time are you going? JulianTomorrow I will freedive at the El Toro marine protected area, if anybody is interested.
Tyler,Meeting here at 11am give or take 15min: https://goo.gl/maps/h4RUQ8mvm5C2