# Guided snorkelling in the Tabarca marine reserve What to do en Tabarca Island · Tabarca Island Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/things-to-do/marine-reserve-snorkel · Revisado: 2026-11-13 - Desde: 21 € per person - Duración: 1 h 20 - Temporada: Summer season; the 2026 one has ended and it returns in 2027 - Para quién: For confident swimmers 1 h 20 min tour with an instructor and equipment from the island with Tabarca Snorkel, €21; or 4 h 30 min with a boat from Alicante, €45. Tabarca's waters were declared a marine reserve in 1986, the first in Spain, and all it takes is looking in with a mask and snorkel a few metres from the shore to see posidonia, rock and fish. Tabarca Snorkel runs guided tours on the island with an instructor who leads the group, the equipment and photos. There are no departures until next season: the company has closed its 2026 season and says on its website that it returns next year. Two ways to do it with the company The tour on the island lasts 1 h 20 min and costs €21. It includes instructor, all the equipment, insurance and photos, but not the boat: you get to Tabarca on your own, with the boat from Alicante or the one from Santa Pola. On the booking form you choose a time from three sessions, at 12:15, 13:45 and 15:30. The tour with a boat from Alicante costs €45 and takes 4 h 30 min in total, with the return ferry from the city harbour. The company asks you to choose the ferry departure at least an hour before the tour time. Its office is at the Muelle de Tráfico Interior in Alicante harbour, on Paseo de Tomás y Valiente. If you prefer to go your own way, they rent equipment for the whole day from €9, with pick-up at Alicante harbour. What is under the water According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the reserve covers 1,754 hectares, with depths from 0 to 40 metres and posidonia meadows in very good condition. The Alicante Tourism Board mentions groupers, gilthead bream, sea bass, sargo and octopus; the company adds lobsters, starfish, underwater caves and loggerhead turtles. The reserve's rules In the inner waters snorkelling is free and needs no permit. Recreational fishing is prohibited and scuba diving needs authorisation. Do not touch or disturb the animals, do not feed the fish and do not take anything living from the seabed. The Board recommends carrying a buoy, better with a life jacket if you are not a confident swimmer, not entering in swell, currents or murky water, and watching for boats in summer. What the company does not publish Neither a minimum age, nor the swimming level required, nor what happens if the sea does not allow departures. The form asks whether any children under 13 are coming: say so when you book and ask about the rest there, on 622 208 127 or 622 321 801. Lo organiza: Tabarca Snorkel, desde 21 € per person (https://www.tabarcasnorkel.com/reservaonline) Lo organiza: Tabarca Snorkel, desde 45 € per person (https://www.tabarcasnorkel.com/reserva-tour-snorkel-ferry) ## Cómo llegar y contacto - Coordenadas: 38.1655, -0.476 ## Cerca de aquí - [Tabarca Beach](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/things-to-do/tabarca-beach), a 71 m - [Mar Azul Restaurant](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/where-to-eat/mar-azul), a 94 m - [Los Pescadores Restaurant](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/where-to-eat/los-pescadores), a 107 m - [Walk to the San José Tower and the lighthouse](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/things-to-do/san-jose-tower-and-lighthouse-walk), a 137 m - [Nueva Tabarca Museum](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/things-to-do/nueva-tabarca-museum), a 217 m - [Walls and San Rafael Gate](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/things-to-do/walls-and-san-rafael-gate), a 294 m - [Boutique Hotel Isla de Tabarca](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/where-to-stay/boutique-hotel-isla-de-tabarca), a 326 m - [Guided Birdwatching on Tabarca Island](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island/things-to-do/birdwatching-tabarca), a 354 m ## Consejos ### The 15:30 session If you go on the weekend Kontiki boat, it leaves you time to eat beforehand and come back at 17:00. ### Afterwards, the beach Tabarca beach is next to the harbour for drying off in the sun. ### Water shoes The ways into the water are rock or coarse sand. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much does guided snorkelling in Tabarca cost? €21 for the 1 h 20 min tour on the island; €45 with the boat from Alicante included. ### Can I do it on my own? Yes, in the inner waters, with a mask and snorkel and respecting the reserve's rules. ### Are there tours in winter? No. The 2026 season has ended and the company resumes tours next year. ### From what age? The company does not publish it: ask when you book. Destino: [Tabarca Island](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island.md)