For sea lovers, combining the motorhome with diving or snorkelling is a great plan: it gets you to the best marine reserves and coves, lets you sleep facing the water and dive in first thing, and once you're out you have your base to dry off and recharge. Spain has spectacular seabeds. Here's how, with safety first.
Snorkelling and diving: for everyone
- Snorkelling (mask, snorkel and fins) is accessible to anyone: in many coves you'll see fish and gorgeous seabeds with no more kit than that. Great for families.
- Scuba diving requires training (certification) and is done with diving centres, who know the areas and provide the equipment and air.
Best areas in Spain
Spain has spectacular marine reserves: the Medes Islands (Costa Brava), Cabo de Palos-Islas Hormigas (Murcia, one of the best in the Mediterranean), Cabo de Gata (Almería; see Cabo de Gata), the Columbretes Islands, El Hierro and the Canary Islands... Many are protected reserves with abundant marine life.
Safety and respect
- Diving, always trained and with centres; never improvise or dive alone.
- Respect the marine reserves: many require permits and have rules (no touching, no fishing, quotas); look after them.
- Snorkel sensibly: watch for currents, tiredness and boats; carry a signalling buoy.
- Don't disturb or remove anything from the seabed.
Back to a ready camper
After diving, it's great to dry the wetsuit and gear (an outdoor shower is fantastic; see outdoor shower), charge the underwater camera and have a cold drink ready. All of that means energy and water: arrive with your setup ready (see calculator) and store the gear dry and ventilated so it doesn't pick up odours.
In summary
The camper is the ideal base for diving and snorkelling, getting you to Spain's best marine reserves, with safety (training, centres) and respect for the environment always first. The step you can take today: to start out, snorkelling in a cove is accessible to everyone; if you dive, do it with a centre in a reserve like Cabo de Palos or the Medes Islands, respecting their rules; and return to your camper to dry the gear and recharge. Combine it with the best beaches.