Specifically, we’re talking about the marine reserve of Cabrera Island. This is one of the few places where you can find Mediterranean flora and fauna as it was fifty years ago. Want to discover it in all its glory?
A Fascinating History
Located roughly six miles south of Mallorca, the Cabrera archipelago comprises 19 islets and islands. Cabrera is the largest uninhabited island in Spanish Mediterranean waters, yet this hasn’t stopped it from having a riveting history.
It never had a permanent population, which is somewhat surprising given its proximity to Mallorca, the traditional abundance of fish in its waters, and the presence of a magnificent natural harbour.
The earliest signs of human presence date back to the Bronze Age, with remnants of talayotic structures, likely evidence of temporary settlements on the islet.
In the following centuries, Cabrera served as a resting point and refuge for Carthaginians, Phoenicians, and Romans on their trade routes; amphorae and shipwrecks are part of the submerged legacy left by these peoples, a testament to Mediterranean culture.
From the 16th to the 19th Century
In the 16th century, Turkish and Barbary pirates used the archipelago and its natural harbour as a base for raids on Mallorca’s southern coast. To defend against these invasions, a castle was built at the harbour’s entrance—a stunning architectural feat seamlessly integrated into the landscape. The fortification appears to have emerged from the earth itself, a natural extension of the mountain, dominating the entire cove of the island.
From 1808 to 1814, a macabre chapter unfolded on the island, marking the archipelago’s darkest history. After the defeat of Napoleon’s troops at the Battle of Bailén, around 9,000 French prisoners were confined to Cabrera and left to their fate. For six long years, the Mediterranean was their only jailer.
Murder, disease, and starvation reduced the population, with only 3,600 survivors liberated in 1814. Visitors to the castle can still see morbid inscriptions carved into its walls by the French prisoners.
Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park
Today, Cabrera has become a true biological treasure, a magnificent reserve to behold and enjoy the authentic Mediterranean. It’s a sought-after destination for sailors in summer, drawn by its stunning landscapes. Its waters and islets host countless threatened species—plants, reptiles, birds, and diverse marine life. Cabrera stands as a genuine biodiversity reserve.
Sheer vertical walls plunging abruptly into the depths, with massive boulders at their base, define the underwater scenery of Cabrera’s dives.
Diving is only permitted in a restricted area of the archipelago, where you’ll be surrounded by countless massive groupers. Up close, you’ll observe one of the Mediterranean’s kings, once the dominant species of rocky seabeds and now nearly vanished along most of Spain’s coast.
The seabed offers breathtaking and varied dives: shipwrecks laden with amphorae, walls of vibrant red gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata), underwater caves with red coral (Corallium rubrum), vast meadows of Posidonia (Posidonia oceanica) alongside fields of giant fan mussels (Pinna nobilis), the Mediterranean’s largest mollusc, and more. With exceptional visibility of up to 50 metres, every underwater exploration is maximised.
The Best Dive Sites
Park regulations limit diving opportunities, but the most popular site is near Cap Llebeig, just outside Cabrera’s harbour. Here, a rugged cliff face drops sharply into the abyss, so monitoring your depth gauge is essential.
Thanks to outstanding conditions—50-metre visibility and the seabed’s vertical drop—the sensation of descending is less obvious than in poorer conditions. It’s easy to lose yourself in the dive and inadvertently reach risky depths around 40 metres.
The allure of these dives lies in the abundance and diversity of fish. The "reserve effect" is immediately apparent, with high concentrations of species nearly wiped out elsewhere: corb, grouper, and more.
This area attracts divers eager to encounter massive groupers (Epinephelus marginatus), some exceeding 30kg. These fish approach divers closely, a habit from illegal feeding despite park bans.
To make the most of your dive, head straight to maximum depth (30–40 metres), where time flies amid groupers and schools of large dentex. Limited bottom time forces a gradual ascent to shallower waters.
There, you’ll complete your dive with a safety stop, admiring shallow-water landscapes teeming with bream. Detail lovers will relish the rock formations, walls, and overhangs.
Human Exploitation
Within the park, commercial fishing persists. Gillnets, trammel nets, and longlines are commonly used here. The reserve’s recovery of fish stocks (groupers, dentex, etc.) is solely due to the ban on spearfishing.
Cabrera National Park is stark evidence of this sport’s damage. Unlike the rest of Mallorca’s coast, spearfishing is banned here—an activity that has decimated species like groupers and corb along Mallorcan shores.
Cabrera is an oasis in an overexploited sea, a vision of a future Mediterranean—rich, restored, respected, and sustainably managed.
For this utopia to materialise, much work remains. Humanity must learn that its identity is bound to the natural world around us.
