Discover Scuba and Dives at the Cíes Islands from Vigo

Underwater the Cíes are still a national park, and their waters are regulated just like the land paths. To dive them with a tank you set out by boat from Vigo with a dive centre, which provides the equipment, the instructor and the boat. In Vigo this is done, among others, by Buceo Islas Cíes, with its own boat at the Bouzas dock.

Discover dive or dive: what you choose

If you have never dived, the discover dive (bautizo) is the way in. It costs €95 and the centre calculates it at four hours, including the boat. First they explain the parts of the equipment, how to behave and the signals for communicating underwater; then you go down to shallow depth with an instructor beside you the whole time. It is done at the Cíes or in the ría, depending on the day and the sea, so if what you want is the islands, say so when booking. It is not a course: it doesn't qualify you to dive on your own.

If you already have certification, you do a guided dive. The base rate is €35 in the ría, and diving at the Cíes adds €10. With all the centre's equipment, the dive comes to €55 plus that supplement; with just the tank, €40. A double dive adds €30 and, if you have no diving insurance, the day's insurance costs €10. Anyone wanting to qualify has the PADI Open Water Diver for €425.

What the park says

The National Park's rules prohibit "scuba diving without prior authorisation", and also carrying spearguns. Diving, navigation and anchoring in its waters are regulated by authorisations, and the park refers to its permits website for the diving one. The centre does not explain on its website how it handles that authorisation for your outing: ask when booking. Snorkelling without weights, on the other hand, does not need it, according to the park itself, which advises asking first at the information hut about the best areas and the prohibited or dangerous ones.

Booking and what to bring

The date is always confirmed beforehand by phone (986 290 589), WhatsApp or email; they answer Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 21:00 and at weekends from 9:00 to 14:00. They go out all year, but the sea rules: with a swell the outing is changed. Bring ID or passport, swimwear, a towel and flip-flops. You must be able to swim. The minimum age is not clear on the website (the discover dive sheet asks for over 14 and another page says from 10), so confirm it if you are going with a teenager.

If you want to set foot on the island afterwards, the discover dive doesn't leave you ashore: that is what the boat to the Cíes is for, with its Xunta authorisation in season.