Xaloc Diving Center

The SSI Diamond Instructor Center designation places Xaloc in a small category. Achieving it requires a centre to produce Instructor-level graduates at a sustained rate — it is not a marketing label. Xaloc (registration 711370) has held the designation in L'Estartit since at least 2026, with owner Ramon Siliceo and staff member Ricard Ciuró both qualifying as SSI Instructor Trainers.

Ramon and Mercè Canyet founded the centre in January 1996. He also holds PADI Course Director credentials, DSAT Instructor Trainer status for technical diving, EFR Instructor Trainer certification, and a FEDAS/CMAS Instructor 3-star — among the broadest qualification stacks of any local operator. Mercè handles purchasing, reception, and customer relations.

The team of around ten covers everything from try dives in the Hotel Nereida pool to cave diving and sidemount courses. Groups are organized by certification level on the Quer, a 25-diver boat with onboard medical oxygen and a van shuttle from the centre to the port. Xaloc claims access to some sites not regularly visited by other L'Estartit operators.

Four environmental certifications are active: ISO 14001, the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, Green Fins, and Blue Oceans. The Generalitat de Catalunya has authorized Xaloc to operate in the Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter since 2008 — one of approximately eight authorized centres.

Safety and organization draw the most frequent praise. Briefings on the boat have been called the best in the area. Divers are grouped by level, each group with a dedicated guide or instructor, and the crew is consistently described by first name across multiple years of reviews.

Long-term loyalty stands out. Several reviewers have returned for a decade or more and still describe being treated like family. The team of Ramón, Mercè, Ricard, Yann, Marc, and others collects personal mentions in a proportion of reviews unusual for a centre of this size.

Two consistent constructive notes appear: no showers at the pier, and cold water that catches some divers off guard. Repeat visitors frame both as known trade-offs and return regardless. One reviewer has suggested hot drinks after dives.