Le ponton de la bordelaise - Costa Brava
Le Ponton de la Bordelaise is one of those Mediterranean sites that just keeps giving. We love pulling up to the mooring here, knowing we’re in for a relaxed dive with plenty to spot. The old pontoon structure itself, now well-colonised, is what makes it special. You’re weaving through the metalwork, which is thick with sponges and anemones, and it’s a constant hide-and-seek with the resident fish. We’ve spent entire safety stops watching Corkwing wrasse flit around, while further down, big schools of Annular seabream drift past. Keep an eye on the sand patches between the supports; we’ve found Thornback skates buried there more than once, and sometimes a Wide-eyed flounder, perfectly camouflaged. It’s a gentle dive, generally shallow enough to stretch out bottom time, making it our pick for a second dive or when you just want to unwind. The best visibility tends to be in the morning before any boat traffic stirs things up too much. You’ll leave feeling like you’ve been invited into a thriving little city.
- Location
- Costa Brava, Spain, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 43.424630, 3.700182
Best Time to Dive in Costa Brava
The warmest water temperatures in Costa Brava occur in August, averaging 23.7°C. The coolest conditions are in January at 11.2°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 11.2°C
- February: 11.4°C
- March: 12.7°C
- April: 14.5°C
- May: 17.5°C
- June: 21.5°C
- July: 23.5°C
- August: 23.7°C
- September: 22.0°C
- October: 19.3°C
- November: 15.6°C
- December: 12.8°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Costa Brava
- ADONE - 10m (wreck)
- ALICE ROBERT - 46m (wreck)
- ANDRES Y MARIA - 25m (wreck)
- Aquablue
- ASTREE - 38m (wreck)
- AVVENIRE - 0m (wreck)
- BENSU - 10m (wreck)
- BOREAS - 26m (wreck)
- CABO CULLERA - 1m (wreck)
- Cala Canyelles
- Cala Culip
- Cala Margarida
- Cala Pedrosa
- CALA PINAR - 13m (wreck)
- Cala Viuda
Nearest Dive Centres to Le ponton de la bordelaise
Marine Life in Costa Brava
Home to 46 recorded species including 36 reef fish, 2 whales & dolphins, 2 sharks & rays, 1 worms, 1 seagrass & algae, 1 other.
Notable Species
- hake (Merluccius merluccius) - Reef Fish
- Blue-white Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) - Whales & Dolphins
- Capelin (Trisopterus capelanus) - Reef Fish
- grey gurnard (Eutrigla gurnardus) - Reef Fish
- Scaldfish (Arnoglossus laterna) - Reef Fish
- Bogue (Boops boops) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- axillary sea-bream (Pagellus acarne) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic Spotted Flounder (Citharus linguatula) - Reef Fish
- Horse Mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) - Reef Fish
- Pollock (Trachurus trachurus) - Reef Fish
- conger (Conger conger) - Reef Fish
- Long-finned Gurnard (Chelidonichthys obscurus) - Reef Fish
- Mullet (Mullus barbatus) - Reef Fish
- Red Band-fish (Cepola macrophthalma) - Reef Fish
- Rockfish (Scorpaena notata) - Reef Fish
- pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) - Reef Fish
- sprat (Sprattus sprattus) - Reef Fish
- dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) - Sharks & Rays
- Pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Le ponton de la bordelaise
Based on average water temperature of 17.1°C, currents 2 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (5-7mm) - recommended for 17°C water
- Hood & Gloves (3-5mm) - helps retain warmth
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories