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 — 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
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★★☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting