Ciutadella, Balearic Islands, Spain

Pont d en Gil

Pont d en Gil is the iconic natural rock arch on the west coast of Menorca near Ciutadella, and the underwater dive site that takes its name combines the arch with a substantial cavern system on the cliff base. The dive descends along the arch's pillar to 18 metres, threads a 30 metre wide cavern with a tall vault and exits through a smaller swim-through at 22 metres. The cavern interior is dim enough to require torches and is decorated with red coral on the ceiling, sponges, golden cup coral and dense cardinalfish curtains. Outside the cavern the wall continues to a sand bottom at 30 metres and hosts red gorgonia, painted comber, octopus, moray eels and several large dusky groupers. The site is exposed to swell from the west and is normally dived in calm summer conditions, with weak currents and visibility consistently above 25 metres. 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.