Malgrats punta

From under the island's cliff face the water stays vertical: the rock that rises above the surface continues straight down to around 25 metres, then breaks into a scatter of large boulders easing toward 35m. A typical dive follows the wall face, scanning the crevices for morays and watching the midwater for barracuda — schools regularly patrol this exposed headland and hang along the wall between 10 and 25m. Below the vertical section, the boulder field holds groupers, lobsters and dentex in the gaps between rocks, in water that stays at 15-18C even in high summer.

Current arrives unpredictably at this exposed point. Calm mornings produce a still, straightforward wall descent and return; when there is movement in the water, the dive shifts to a drift along the face, the current carrying divers across the boulders before the ascent. Buoyancy on the vertical face matters more here than at the Piscina on the other side of the island — a controlled, neutral profile on the wall avoids unnecessary contact and keeps gas consumption predictable. Plan the exit before you descend.

The Malgrats Piscina, tucked in the sheltered bay of the same island group, is the reserve's easy option. Malgrats Punta is the other Malgrats: an exposed headland wall that rises from sea cliff to seabed without the calm, shallow profile its sibling offers. The reserve fish life is the same — protection applies to both — but the topography produces a different encounter. Barracuda schools that spread loosely over the shallower reserve sites concentrate here, drawn to the point and the current it occasionally generates. The boulder field below the wall shelters a deeper community of groupers, dentex and lobsters that the gentler terrain of El Toro's slope does not replicate in the same way.

This is the reserve site that pushes divers. The wall, the depth and the current potential make it a qualified dive, not a tourist excursion. For experienced divers who want to test the Malgrats reserve rather than simply visit it, this is the correct dive.

AOW certification is the appropriate entry point for this dive — the boulder zone at 30-35m exceeds Open Water depth limits, and the current potential adds complexity. If current is present, discuss the exit plan with your centre before entering — this is not a site to improvise an ascent on. The Malgrats reserve authorisation is required and is the same paid, personal licence as for El Toro; operators normally include it. Dress for the thermocline: the wall and boulders sit at 15-18C in summer regardless of the surface temperature. Night diving is not permitted in the Malgrats special zone. For a gentler alternative in the same reserve, Malgrats Piscina is a short distance along the island.