Galicia: Rias Baixas, Cies Islands, and Atlantic North Coast

Use local operators for site selection, especially around Cies, Ons, A Coruna, and Costa da Morte. Carry a DSMB and spool, stay clear of ferry channels and mussel rafts unless diving them with an operator, and expect site swaps when wind or swell changes. Manage cold stress with adequate neoprene or a drysuit, warm surface intervals, and conservative repetitive-dive profiles. Freedivers should use trained buddies, floats, lines, and instructors. Snorkelers should avoid surge zones, slippery rocks, and offshore winds.

For emergencies in Spain, call 112. For maritime distress, use VHF Channel 16 or Salvamento Maritimo emergency contact routes. If decompression illness is suspected, stop diving, administer oxygen if trained and available, keep the diver hydrated and warm if conscious, contact emergency services and your dive insurer, and do not attempt to self-clear symptoms. Vigo has hospital hyperbaric medicine services, but availability and routing should be confirmed through emergency services rather than by self-transport.

Inside the Atlantic Islands National Park, do not collect shells, rocks, plants, animals, archaeological material, or geological material. Do not disturb, chase, feed, capture, or kill wildlife. Underwater fishing, spearguns, harpoons, and weapons are prohibited in the protected context. Maintain buoyancy over kelp, maerl, sponges, and rocky reefs. Avoid anchoring on sensitive seabeds. Treat seahorses and pipefish as strictly no-touch encounters, and keep cameras and fins away from fragile habitat.