Current legislation

As of 04/30/2015 there was a change in the planning and organization of the Medes Islands Marine Reserve, going from a general daily limitation of places authorized to dive, to an annual limitation per buoy.
We explain these changes to them so that they know the new operation and because we believe that it is convenient for the state of the ecosystem of the Medes Islands to be known so that we all collaborate in its protection by being more careful when diving, reducing our impact while we are diving.
Until 05/06/2015, the limitation was daily, with a maximum of 396 dives allowed to Diving Centers authorized to operate in the Reserve. As of that date, it is limited and changed to accommodate the biological studies carried out and also those carried out in the future. With the Diving Centers a total of 47.750 dives / year to be distributed among all authorized companies

Why is this change been made?

The current management model was drawn up in 2008 and was expected to be valid for 4 years, extendable, since it is considered that the planning and management of the Natural Park must involve a continuous review to be able to adapt to the changing needs of its visitors and its relationship with the environment of the Park. Therefore, successive new laws in 2015 and 2017 applied changes to the distribution system for the number of dives per Diving Center.

¿How it changes?

Biological follow-ups have been carried out in which the impact of diving in the Medes Islands has been studied and they conclude that the activity affects the seabed differently depending on the species that inhabit and the depth.

A change in the regulating model of frequentation in the Medes Islands is proposed and moving from a homogeneous vision with daily regulation to a different treatment of each diving area depending on the type of bottom and the fragility of the communities and species that inhabit there regulating the simultaneous number of dives and an annual limit for each area, with an annual review system based on the result of monitoring the biological indicators.

Where do the numbers come from?

The number of dives allowed per year is the result of the sum of the frequentation admitted by each buoy according to the studies carried out.