Costa Blanca: Denia and Xabia/Javea

Use local operators for reserve dives, especially around Cabo de San Antonio and Cova Tallada. Carry a DSMB, listen to the skipper's site briefing and ask what the wind backup plan is. Do not enter overhead environments unless trained and equipped. For snorkel and freedive sessions, use a visible float, avoid boat channels and never dive alone. Pebble entries can be harder to exit than they look, especially when afternoon wind adds chop. If waves are breaking onto boulders, choose another cove or make it a topside day.

Call 112 first for life-threatening emergencies in Spain. Divers with suspected decompression illness should also contact DAN Europe as soon as practical after local emergency care is activated. Denia has a regional public hospital, but recompression logistics can require transfer and should be coordinated by emergency doctors, DAN and 112 rather than self-directed driving. Keep insurance details, certification cards, medication lists and emergency contacts in your dive bag and phone.

Cabo de San Antonio Marine Reserve restricts unauthorized diving, recreational fishing, anchoring, collecting marine organisms and motorized underwater activity. Posidonia meadows are essential Mediterranean habitat: do not fin, stand, drag kayaks or anchor on them. Do not remove shells, rocks, plants or animals from coves. At Cova Tallada, keep to approved access, carry out all trash, avoid loud behavior in cave spaces and respect time limits during regulated periods. For cetaceans, choose responsible observation and never seek to swim with whales or dolphins.