Colonia de Sant Jordi, Balearic Islands, Spain

Roman Wreck of Cala Galiota

Off the small fishing port of Colonia de Sant Jordi on Mallorca's southern coast lies one of the easiest archaeology dives in the western Mediterranean: a Roman amphora field on a sand bottom at 16 to 22 metres, the remains of a small cargo ship that sank in the first century. The wood of the hull is gone but several dozen amphorae remain in their original ballast configuration along with anchor stones and ceramic fragments, all under official protection and not to be touched or moved. The shallow sand bottom and Posidonia oceanica meadows around the site host pipefish, juvenile fish, octopus, common cuttlefish and the occasional Pinna nobilis. Schools of saddled seabream and salema cruise above. Because the dive is shallow, current free and easy to navigate, it is perfect for beginners and the only mainland-Balearic Roman wreck reliably accessible to recreational divers. The Balearic archipelago sits in the western Mediterranean and is the only Spanish region to combine four distinct marine reserves with the largest single Posidonia oceanica meadow in the world, the UNESCO-listed prairie between Ibiza and Formentera. Water temperature ranges from 13 C in February to 26 C in August, and the islands are served by year-round dive centres in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.