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A gin-clear sea, a varied seabed and a nice diversity of fish and invertebrates: this is what awaits you at the foot of Punta Galera, a rocky point located in the north-west of Ibiza. A great snorkeling location where seabream, peacock wrasse, cardinalfish and red starfish are easy to sight!

Sharpsnouted seabream at Punta Galera
Big sharpsnout seabream are frequently seen in the shallows facing the beach.

How to go snorkeling at Punta Galera

Punta Galera is just a 15-minute drive north of Sant Antoni de Portmany. By car, follow the direction of Santa Agnès, then turn left at the sign “Punta Galera” and continue for about 2km.

Park along the track and continue on foot on the small path (starting here) which goes down to Sa Galera Beach (10 minutes, some steep passages in the rocks).

Punta Galera snorkeling map, Ibiza

Water entrance for snorkeling Punta Galera

You can get in the water from the pebble beach or from the fishing huts that line the cove.

Punta Galera snorkeling exploration tips

You can snorkel all over the cove, but we recommend that you mainly swim along the rocky point, which offers a rugged underwater landscape and pretty drop offs.

Just in front of the beach, there are rocky bottoms, a few stretches of sand and beautiful posidonia meadows (↕3-6ft/1-2m). Saddled seabream, sargo and sharpsnout bream are common sightings in this area. It is a great area for beginners.

Ornate wrasse at Punta Galera
The ornate wrasse (here a small group of females) are easy to spot around the rocks.

Those who wish can then swim to the drop off, which stretches over 200m along the rocky point. You will quickly spot many ornate wrasses bustling around the rocks (↕3-9ft/1-3m), especially in late spring/early summer. Red starfish are common on the wall, sometimes hidden in small cracks.

If you skin-dive, take a look in the small caves that can be found in many places at the foot of the drop off (↕6-12ft/2-4m): it is the right places to look for cardinalfish, which can be recognized by their red color and their big black eyes.

Cardinalfish in an underwater cave at Punta Galera
Punta Galera is a good place to find Mediterranean cardinalfish, pretty common in the small underwater caves.

Restaurants and accommodation nearby

There is no bar or restaurant near the beach, but there are a few options within a 5 to 10-minute drive from the spot (especially in Cala Gració and Cala Salada).

 

  • Level required Intermediate
  • Maximum depth12ft/4m
  • Water entranceFrom a pebble beach or rocks
  • LifeguardNo
  • Visitor numbersMedium
  • Access costsFree
  • Restaurants nearbyNo

MAP Spot

These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters.

This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.