Scuba diving in Mallorca: try dives for beginners and boat dives for certified divers

A try dive is the first dive for people who have never dived. You need no licence: an instructor explains the equipment and hand signals on land, you practise in shallow water or a pool and then go down with them to a limited depth; in Port de Sóller, for example, the limit is 12 metres. According to our listings, the minimum age is 8 to 10 depending on the centre, and some ask you to fill in a medical questionnaire.

If you are already certified (Open Water or higher), you can join guided boat dives to walls, caves and reefs and rent equipment if you have not brought your own. Centres pick the site each day depending on the weather and the group's level. Remember that you should not fly straight after diving: Aventura IB in Colònia de Sant Jordi reminds divers to wait 12 hours; always follow your centre's advice.

If you are staying around Palma Bay, there are three try dives nearby. ZOEA leaves from the Club Náutico in Santa Ponsa: about three hours with full equipment and transfer, from age 8, April to October, with staff speaking German, English, French and Spanish; our listing shows 110 euros. Palma Diving runs its try dive from Son Caliu in about two and a half hours, for 120 euros according to one listing, and Diving and Adventure starts in El Arenal with equipment and transfer included, from age 10; check the current price in the listing.

Further west, Diving Dragonera, on the seafront in Port d'Andratx, offers a try dive of about four hours, from 99 euros according to one listing, and takes its boat towards Sa Dragonera. According to a diving directory, the centre has been running for decades and serves German speakers.

In Port de Sóller, Soller Divers runs a PADI Discover Scuba Diving with two dives down to 12 metres, from age 10, April to October; one listing puts it from 80 euros, the lowest price in this guide. For certified divers it goes out daily, with no more than four divers per guide.

In Port de Pollença, Scuba Mallorca is a PADI five-star centre with daily boat trips to more than 30 sites in the bay and around Cap de Formentor, with walls, caverns and shallow seagrass, so there are dives for every level. It runs introductions for adults and for children from age 10; the price does not appear in our sources.

Skualo has two bases in the east. In Porto Cristo, its try dive of about two and a half hours costs 129 euros according to a course listing. In Portocolom the try dive starts with a safety briefing, then a speedboat takes you to a shallow site, and hotel pick-up can be included; according to the listing, with luck you may see groupers, sea bream and even a loggerhead turtle. Its euro price is not verified.

East Coast Divers, also in Portocolom, starts in its own pool before heading into the sea with the instructor: about three and a half hours for 119 euros (pool only, 55 euros). The listing shows sessions on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 13:30 until the end of October. It is a good choice if you are nervous about starting straight in the sea.

Acqua Life, an SSI centre in Cala d'Or, offers a half-day try dive for 85 euros with all equipment and insurance included: theory first, then practice in shallow water by the beach and finally an open-water dive with an instructor. The minimum age is 10, staff speak German, English and Spanish, and you book by email or WhatsApp.

The Cala Serena dive centre, based in Cala d'Or next to the hotel of the same name, runs a two-hour try dive in Cala Santanyí, from 88 euros according to a third-party listing. The coves on this coast are narrow and rocky, a comfortable setting for a first dive when the sea is calm.

Aventura IB runs try dives from its dive shop in Colònia de Sant Jordi: about two and a half hours in total, with a 30-minute briefing, practice in an easy spot and a guided underwater tour. The minimum age is 8 and each instructor takes no more than four people. Our listing shows 125 euros per person for groups of 1 to 4 (115 euros for 5 to 8 and 110 euros for 9 to 12), and the season runs from April to November.

It is the closest base to Es Trenc and the ses Salines coast, so it suits a holiday in the south. The same centre runs the Cabrera trips for certified divers described below.

With an Open Water certificate or higher, the most special trip is Cabrera. Aventura IB sails from Colònia de Sant Jordi on an 11-metre boat: the full day includes two dives of 60 to 65 minutes, national park fees, tanks, weights, a divemaster and an hour and a half on the island, with a visit to the Blue Cave if the sea allows. Dive insurance is compulsory and equipment is rented separately (38 euros basic, 45 euros with a computer); you need to ask for the trip price.

In the east, Skualo heads out daily from Porto Cristo to caverns such as the Cueva del Pirata, reefs and walls, from 52.48 euros per dive including tank, weights, guide and boat. Acqua Life sells a two-dive package from Calas de Mallorca or Cala Egos for 102 euros (55 euros for one), with a first site at 18 to 25 metres and a second at 15 to 18 metres, chosen by the divemaster on the day.

Most centres in our listings operate from April to October, and some stay open into November. The water is warmest from July to October; in spring a thicker wetsuit is welcome. If you get seasick, choose a try dive that starts from the shore or in a pool, such as East Coast Divers'.

Several centres serve German speakers: ZOEA in Santa Ponsa, Diving and Adventure in El Arenal, Diving Dragonera in Port d'Andratx and Acqua Life in Cala d'Or, according to our listings. If it is your first dive, book it early in your holiday: if you enjoy it, you will have days left to dive again or start a course.