Snorkelling
The best coves in Jávea for snorkelling (and with which wind)
Less a ranking than a criterion: which cove works depending on where the wind is coming from that day.
6 August 2026
Lists of coves are usually ordered by how beautiful they are, which works fine for deciding where to swim. For snorkelling the criterion is different. A spectacular cove with the wind against it is murky water and half an hour wasted; an unremarkable cove that happens to be sheltered that day gives you five metres of visibility. So this list is ordered by what actually decides the outing.
The rule that summarises the whole article
With an easterly, the east-facing coast clouds up: look for shelter. With a westerly, that same coast goes flat and it is when visibility is best. And after a storm, even when the surface looks like glass, the water takes a couple of days to settle.
Cala Granadella
The best known and the one that appears everywhere, deservedly: a mixed floor of stone and posidonia with walls at either side where the life concentrates. The classic mistake is swimming straight across the middle of the cove, which is the dullest part and where the boats pass. The good stuff hugs the rock along the sides. Expect regulated access in summer and expect it to fill early.
El Portitxol
Shallow ground in front of the island, and the area with the most submerged history in the whole municipality — 53 Roman gold coins came out of here in 2021. It works well when the south is rough, and it is not the place to look for depth: it is a place to look slowly.
Around Cabo de la Nao
The most spectacular and the most exposed. With any swell running it is not a place for relaxed snorkelling, and it is not one to try if you do not know the area or you have children with you. Flat calm, though, and it is where you understand why people dive in Jávea.
The edge of the Cabo de San Antonio Marine Reserve
The protection shows in the quantity of fish, considerably. That said, it is a regulated area: not the whole perimeter allows the same activities at all times. Find out what is permitted and where before turning up.
Choosing in two minutes
- Check where the wind is coming from today, not the week's forecast.
- Rule out the coast that faces into it.
- Of what is left, pick the one with more rock and less sand.
- If nothing is sheltered, leave it for another day: going anyway does not fix it.