Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Last updated on May 2, 2021
Located at the foot of Cabo de Palos lighthouse, Cala Túnez is a small rocky cove with incredibly rich underwater life. In the shallow waters facing the beach, you can swim above a landscape of seagrass, rocky chaos and sand banks. Snorkelers can encounter around 30 marine species there, such as gilthead sea bream, dusky grouper, sand steenbras, broadnosed pipefish, and purple sea star.
Cala Túnez is located in Cabo de Palos. Follow the direction of the lighthouse to the end of the peninsula and park in the parking lot on the left, just before the lighthouse.
At the end of the car park, stairs lead down to the small cove. Cala Fria, which is another great snorkeling location (although it is deeper) is just on the other side of the lighthouse.
Enter the water from the small beach, made of a mixture of sand and gravel.
You can snorkel all over the cove, which is about 50m wide. Facing the beach, you’ll find shallow seagrass beds (↕1-4ft/0.5-1.5m), where sand steenbras, annular seabream, and brown wrasse are quite common.
It is also possible to encounter in this area the broadnosed pipefish, a species of pipefish that can reach 14inches/35cm in length.
On both sides of the beach are rocky areas (↕1-8ft/0.5-3m) where the specific species of these environments, such as wrasse and sea bream, live. In the small caves and under the overhangs, you can see cardinalfish, starfish (especially the rare purple sea star), and even small dusky groupers.
In total, more than thirty species live in Cala Túnez, making it a prime spot if you are visiting the area.
There is no food option near the spot, but the port of Cabo de Palos (where there are several restaurants) is just a 5-minute drive away.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
