# Diving on Mallorca, Spain

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diving-on-mallorca-spain/261173>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 23, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diving-on-mallorca-spain/261173 "2004-08-23T23:50:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diving-on-mallorca-spain/261173/1 "2004-08-23T23:50:27Z")

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I just finished my PADI Open Water Diver certification today. I’m going to Mallorca for a week next week, and I would love to get some quality underwater time while I’m there. I am soliciting the SMDB for some advice:

**Diving centre**. I have found numerous PADI centres online, but I’d like to hear about personal experiences and (counter-)recommendations. Security, professionalism, friendliness, price are all factors. While I presume all centres have English-speaking staff, I would be most comfortable around native-English speakers; you can’t be safe without feeling safe, and an awkward language barrier will undermine that feeling as well introduce potential communication errors.

**Dive sites**. Being a novice diver, I prefer to start with straightforward sites with maximum visibility and geographical simplicity. I like flat, I like sand, I like interesting, colourful, harmless fauna and flora. What’s to recommend?

**Marine life**. I know Mallorca offers a great deal of marine life. I’m not too keen to expose myself to box jellyfish or end up as shark bait. What should I expect to find? Anything non-obvious I should stay away from?

**Snorkling sites**. Does Mallorca offer any particularly good shallow lagoons, inlets or similar places where one can snorkle in peace without being swept to sea and/or the bottom by malevolent currents?

**Diving equipment**. I intend to buy a semi-dry combo (5mm neoprene inner shortie + 6.5mm neoprene outer suit) to dive in my own country, where the water is a comfy 20C in the middle of summer, and often lower. How compatible is this kind of suit with a climate like Mallorca’s?

I am asking for facts, not fishing stories. However, a _useful_ anecdote (“a barracuda took my arm off because it liked my shiny wristwatch, so don’t wear one”) is always appreciated.

Thank you!