El Toro Reserve
When one leaves the port at Santa Ponsa, an island one will come across is El Toro. Just 20 minutes away, and so close is a prolific world of marine life that challenges many other ocean or sea floors for the vast abundance and diversity of marine life. And it just so happens that because of this, it is now considered a marine reserve protected by the government. The diving here in this area is to say the least, incredible and amazing. Going only about half a mile down one experiences the different, yet same world that we all share. There is an underwater ledge, with grunts and sea-bream feeding, all the while creating a kaleidoscope of light and color unintentionally with their iridescent scales. The entrance is particularly safe diving as it’s a naturally occurring sheltered entrance. The ledge drops and there is a wall of sea-grass, and must feel a bit like going down into the Grand Canyon at Havasupai Falls, with the vines climber higher the deeper one hikes into the chasm. It’s an underwater symphony of life. And as one may find more to see on the eastern side, the western bit of the Mediterranean is just as beautiful.
It is because of this rich biodiversity that organizations are concerned with preservation, as spas and 5 star hotels in Mallorca have been expanding to meet the needs of a growing tourism industry. In a world were the fish glow and the barracudas will swim side by side with divers as they pass corals bright red and sponges expanding and contracting, the human must take note. Part of the reason for the continuance of life as we know it is the sea. A big part, for it’s where we actually crawled away, only to spend our savings for the year, going on vacations in order to just get back there. It’s amazing. The coral and the sponges create underwater complexes wherein other forms of life are sheltered and thrive. The deeper one goes into the Mediterranean, the more one sees…as eels and stingrays perform ballets that most never are able to witness. As in the city of Seattle where out of every crack in the cement something grows, out of every crack in an underwater boulder something will be looking at you looking back at it. An amazing way to spend time on, or off of as the case may be, of the Balearic Islands of Spain.
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