La Vaca
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
La Vaca is a single emphatic statement: a tunnel bored clean through the rock, entered in dimness and finished in a widening cone of blue. Conger and moray eels share crevices along the passage, and the resident groupers have a habit of escorting divers through as if supervising visitors. The seaward walls on either side drop through coralligenous growth where nudibranchs and forkbeards reward slow searching. Paired with a second islet site, it makes the definitive Medes morning: geology first, fish density after.
The moment you come for: The through-tunnel itself, escort groupers, coralligenous walls either side
Topography: A natural tunnel through the limestone with entrances at different depths, flanked by walls and boulder slopes
Entry: Short ride from L'Estartit; the tunnel mouth sits off the Meda Gran's seaward face.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Overhead section and queueing divers at peak times; mind surge near the shallow entrance after wind.
Permits & rules: Park quota and authorized-center rules apply.
Conservation: No-take reserve; buoyancy discipline protects the tunnel's encrusting life.
Who you'll meet
Nudibranchs
Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
Seahorses
Bottlenose Dolphin
Great Barracuda
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★★☆☆ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)