Tamariu House Riff

Enter from the small staircase on the promenade and wade into the sheltered cove. The bottom slopes gently from the shore, passing over sand and Posidonia meadows before reaching the five parallel gullies that define the reef's structure. Gorgonians and zoanthids cover the gully walls, and every rock face hosts a different cast: nudibranchs in improbable colours, flatworms drifting across stone, scorpionfish vanishing into texture. Moray eels thread through the deeper crevices. At 15 metres the reef reaches its maximum depth, but the shallow profile means bottom time stretches well past an hour — long enough to work through all five channels and still have air for a second pass at the spots that produced the best macro sightings.

Tamariu House Riff occupies a unique position among Palamós dive sites: the shallowest, calmest, and most accessible, yet frequented by marine biologists for its biodiversity. The nudibranch population is the draw — multiple species across the gullies in concentrations that no deeper or more dramatic site in the area matches. Seahorses add a layer of difficulty: they are present but camouflaged so effectively that finding one without a guide who knows their current positions is unlikely. The five gully structure creates distinct micro-habitats within metres of each other, which explains the diversity in such a small area. An international dive magazine feature described Tamariu as hiding "probably the best dive sites of the Mediterranean Sea" beneath its surface.

Registration at Stolli's Divebase is required before entering the water, even if you are diving independently. The entry point is a 2-minute walk along the promenade from the dive base — look for the small staircase. Dive boots are practical for the rocky entry. For seahorses, ask a guide: the colonies shift position, and unguided searches waste time in a reef where the small life rewards patience over distance. The cove's protection from weather means this site remains diveable when offshore sites like Ullastres or Furió Fitó are cancelled due to sea state — a reliable backup that is genuinely worth diving in its own right.