Discover Scuba Diving in La Manga del Mar Menor

What it is and isn't A discover dive is your first dive with a tank, with an instructor by your side and at shallow depth. It isn't a course and doesn't lead to a certification: when it's over you aren't certified. If what you want is the card, your entry point is the Open Water Diver course, also taught here, which qualifies you down to 18 m.

Where you actually dive Worth clearing up, since the name is misleading: although the area is called La Manga del Mar Menor, you don't dive in the lagoon. The Mar Menor is shallow with a muddy bottom, and scuba diving isn't practised there. The trips head to the Mediterranean side, to Isla Grosa and the El Farallón islet -two protected volcanic formations just off the coast- and to nearby reefs like La Laja or El Anfiteatro. You set off by boat from the marina, and in just over a quarter of an hour you're at the dive site.

What the session is like About 2.5-3 hours in total, of which you'll be underwater for around 40 minutes. First the theory briefing -breathing through the regulator, equalising your ears, hand signals- then shallow-water practice until you feel comfortable, and finally the guided dive between 3 and 6 m. Full gear and insurance are provided by the centre.

The real requirements From age 8, and you need to know how to swim and feel comfortable in the water. You fill out a medical questionnaire before getting in and, if you answer yes to anything -heart, asthma, epilepsy, recent surgery, pregnancy- you'll need a medical certificate. You can't dive with a cold or congestion, or if you've flown in the previous 24 hours. If you get seasick, take your motion-sickness pill before boarding.

How it differs from Cabo de Palos Cabo de Palos is a quarter of an hour away by car, at the southern tip of the same strip, and its draw is the Islas Hormigas marine reserve and its wrecks. Here, on the northern stretch, the appeal is different: the volcanic islet of Isla Grosa, the boat trip out, and seabeds that rarely go past 18 m, comfortable for beginners.