L Estartit, Catalonia, Spain

Medas Islands - Tasco Petit

Tasco Petit is a 30 metre long natural rock tunnel cutting through one of the smaller islets of the Medes archipelago, with entrances at 24 metres on one side and 28 metres on the other. The passage is wide enough for a comfortable side-by-side passage and is dimly lit by the openings, creating a classic Mediterranean swim-through experience. Inside the tunnel divers find dense carpets of yellow encrusting anemone, red coral colonies on the ceiling, congers and dense shoals of cardinalfish. Outside on the wall the reserve's typical fauna is well represented with several large dusky groupers, saddled seabream, John Dory and the occasional barracuda or amberjack. The maximum depth of 35 metres at the bottom of the wall keeps the dive within intermediate ranges and a single circuit through the tunnel and back along the wall is a comfortable plan with about 35 to 40 minutes of bottom time.