Water sports in Sóller

Port de Sóller sits in an almost closed bay with a narrow mouth, so very little swell gets in. That is why it suits water sports so well: you can launch from the shore, paddle along the rocks at the entrance and come back without surprises. Outside the bay begins the north coast of the Serra de Tramuntana, a cliff coastline with no roads, where the sea is a different story.

To choose where to swim, see beaches and coves in Sóller. This guide covers what you do on and under the water.

We do not list prices or hours: they are on each company's website. See also the How to book section.

Dives are done by boat along the north-west coast of Mallorca. The sea floor there has caves and walls, good visibility (sometimes over 30 metres) and wildlife such as nudibranchs, groupers, moray eels, slipper lobsters or octopus. These are the businesses with a verified official website:

Soller Divers

Dive centre in the Port with its own boats. According to its website, it runs half-day trips to dive sites on the north-west coast, with one or two dives, and offers try dives and all PADI and SSI courses, extended-range technical diving and liveaboard trips. It also has a sailing boat (Agarimo) for days with swimming, snorkelling and paddle boarding, plus a freediving and snorkel activity with SSI freediving courses from basic level to instructor, snorkelling with the skippers and, on request, a snorkel guide.

• Website: sollerdivers.com
• Booking: contact form on the website, phone, WhatsApp and email (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: Carrer de la Marina 62, Port de Sóller

Sóller Charter Experience

Private charter company in the Port. Its website has a diving charter page: according to it, the group is taken to spots such as Sa Foradada, Cova des Pintor or the Blue Cave, with an auxiliary support boat and snorkel gear for those without their own. Its flagship is the Agarimo Six, which also does multi-day trips. It shares its address with Soller Divers.

• Website: sollercharterexperience.com
• Booking: availability search on the website (date and duration), phone and email
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: C/ de la Marina 62, Port de Sóller

Before booking a try dive, ask the centre about minimum age, depth and number of dives. Bring your certification card and, if asked, a medical certificate. If you will fly soon after diving, ask how long you should wait.

Kayaking is the easiest way to see the coast from the water, and the sheltered bay of the Port is a good place for stand-up paddle boarding. There are three kinds of trip:

• Bay and lighthouses: paddling to the Far de Sa Creu at the harbour mouth and on towards the Far des Cap Gros is a one to two hour outing, fine for beginners in good weather. To reach the lighthouses on foot, see the hiking guide.
• Coast and caves: coves and sea caves outside the bay, always with a local guide and calm seas.
• Towards Sa Calobra: a long, exposed crossing for experienced sea kayakers only, with a good forecast and company. If you just want to reach Sa Calobra, the boat from the Port is the sensible option.

Nàutic Sóller

Company with its own website that, according to it, has operated in the Port since 1984. It rents single and double sea kayaks by the hour, half day or full day, with equipment included, and runs guided kayak trips of 3 to 4 hours to coves, caves and stream mouths along the coast, with a local guide and support boat (minimum group of 3 people, according to its Spanish page). It also rents motor boats and runs boat excursions and sailing practice.

• Website: nauticsoller.com
• Booking: phone and email
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: Calle de la Marina 4, Port de Sóller

Tramuntana Tours

Outdoor activity shop with a branch in the Port and another in the town. Its guided sea kayak trip, about 3.5 to 4 hours according to its website, leaves the bay towards Cala Tuent, passes the island of s'Illeta and a large cave, and includes kayak, qualified guide, life jackets and a support boat. According to its website no previous experience is needed but you must be a good swimmer, and the minimum group is 6 people. Its homepage also lists a private charter on a 10 m sailboat with skipper, snorkel gear and a paddle board.

• Website: tramuntanatours.com
• Booking: phone, WhatsApp and email (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: Port shop: Paseo de Través 12; second shop in Sóller town (Calle de la Luna 72)

Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP): we could not verify a SUP school with an official website in the Port. Inflatable boards are offered with some boat rentals (Soller Boats lists one as an extra, according to its website), and a board is included on charters by Perfect Charter, Sail La Vie and Sail Trip Mallorca; Tramuntana Tours mentions one on its sailboat charter. For a board from the beach, ask along the promenade and check the business is insured.

• Beginners: stay inside the bay and near the shore.
• Attach the board to your ankle with the safety leash and wear a vest if you are not a strong swimmer.
• If the wind pushes you away from shore, paddle kneeling or lying down.
• Avoid SUP in a strong tramuntana or if the sea looks choppy outside the bay.

Snorkelling happens mostly on the rocks at the ends of the bay and in coves reached by boat, such as Cala Deià and Cala Tuent (details in the beaches guide). Options with a company:

• Soller Divers: snorkelling with its skippers, a snorkel guide on request and SSI freediving courses, according to its website.
• Sail La Vie Soller, Sail Trip Mallorca and Perfect Charter: boat trips with snorkel gear, according to their websites.
• Tramuntana Tours and Nàutic Sóller: guided kayaking with stops for swimming and snorkelling.

• Wear water shoes: the shores are rock and pebbles.
• Always go with someone and, if you swim away from shore, use a signalling buoy.
• Look, do not touch: no fish, no Posidonia, no sea urchins.

We found no freediving centre with a verified base in the Port: Apnea Balear, which appears in some directories, gives Colònia de Sant Jordi as its address on its own website.

Scheduled boat trips (Sa Calobra, Cala Tuent and so on) have their own guide: boat trips from Port de Sóller. Here are private rentals and charters.

Important: there is no licence-free boat rental. Under the national boating-qualification rules, as summarised by Gaceta Náutica, rented pleasure boats must be skippered by someone with a boating licence or the relevant qualification, whatever their length. There are exceptions for formats such as group excursions or trips with an instructor. MaksyBoats says so on its website; other companies may still show licence-free boat pages, so confirm in writing what they require. Without a licence, the option is a charter with a skipper.

Soller Boats

Rents boats from the Port to tour the Tramuntana coast. According to its website, the fleet is modern, with models under 5 m carrying 6 passengers, others above 40 hp, and crewed charters, and an inflatable paddle board kit can be added. Bookings are for a full day or half day. Check first which licence it requires (see the note on licence-free rental).

• Website: sollerboats.com
• Booking: booking form on the website and phone
• Social: Instagram
• Where: Port de Sóller (pier given when booking)

MaksyBoats

Rental and charter company with an office in the Port. Its website offers boat hire with licence, motor and sailing charters with skipper, luxury yachts and boat trips. It states on its site that a boat cannot be hired without a licence and offers alternatives on request. It presents itself as a member of APANIB.

• Website: maksyboats.com
• Booking: WhatsApp, phone and email (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: Carrer de la Marina 14, Port de Sóller

Perfect Charter

Motor yacht charters based in Port de Sóller (and also in Pollença and Palma). Bookings by full day, half day, sunset or sunrise. Its water sports page states, according to its website, mask and snorkel included, one paddle board included on yacht charters with extra boards available, wakeboarding with the Seabreeze motorboat hire and Seabob; these extras are requested in advance.

• Website: perfectcharter.com
• Booking: FareHarbor booking engine on the website and phone
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: Es Través 22, Port de Sóller

Sail La Vie Soller

Sailing boat with skipper for private groups. According to its website, trips are full day, half day (morning or afternoon) or sunset (the last two hours of daylight), and allow sailing, paddle boarding, snorkelling, dolphin spotting and cliff jumping.

• Website: saillaviesoller.com
• Booking: booking form on the website, WhatsApp and email (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: meeting point at the charter pier, Carrer de la Marina, Port de Sóller

Sail Trip Mallorca

Yacht charter company with its own Port de Sóller page: motor yachts and sailing yachts with captain, from 2 to 8 hours. According to its website, water sports are available on request and some sailing yachts include a SUP board and snorkel gear for free use.

• Website: sailtripmallorca.com
• Booking: online booking on the website, phone and email
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: departures from Port de Sóller (company with bases in several Mallorca ports)

Bonnie Lass Charters

Private charter on a 17 m classic Scottish fishing boat built in 1949, sailing from the Port. According to its website, it offers trips to caves and coves, lunch on board, sunset charters, shared experiences and scientific expedition days for individuals and groups.

• Website: bonnielasscharters.com
• Booking: WhatsApp and contact form (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: sails from Port de Sóller

Wakeboarding, Seabob and paddle boards can be added to a Perfect Charter booking (according to its website). Jet ski, flyboard, parasailing and pedal boats: we could not verify any company with an official website in Sóller or its port, so we recommend none. If you want a jet ski, ask at the port or at the Maritime Authority (Capitanía Marítima) about authorised companies, rules and zones.

Coasteering (jumps, low climbing and swims along the coast with a guide):

Outdoor Adventure Sports

Adventure company based in Alaró. It lists a coasteering activity at Port de Sóller, with sea jumps and qualified guides, easy level and about 3 hours, according to its website. Ask when booking about the minimum age and meeting point for that specific trip.

• Website: outdooradventuresports.es
• Booking: booking engine on the website, phone, WhatsApp and email (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: company based in Alaró; the coasteering activity is listed as Port de Sóller

Mallorca Mountains

Mountain and adventure activity company. Its website lists coasteering in the north zone (Sóller), along the Port de Sóller coast, for private groups with advance booking only. It also offers canyoning, climbing and caving.

• Website: mallorcamountains.com
• Booking: email (private groups with advance booking only)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: north zone (Sóller) of its coasteering

Sport fishing is done on a private charter with a skipper:

Fishing Mallorca Sollerics

Private fishing charter from Port de Sóller. According to its website, it offers deep-sea fishing and trolling trips of about 7 hours (bluefin tuna, albacore, mahi-mahi depending on the season) and a fishing plus coastal cruise option of 4 or 7 hours suited to families, always on a private boat.

• Website: fishingmallorcasollerics.com
• Booking: booking on the website, WhatsApp and email (WhatsApp)
• Social: Instagram, Facebook
• Where: departs from Port de Sóller

Details taken from each company's official website. We do not list prices, hours or seasons: find them on each company's website.

The tramuntana is the north wind that gives the mountains their name. The Port bay softens the swell, but outside it the sea can pick up quickly. Simple rules:

• Check the wind and sea forecast first thing; with a tramuntana or strong gusts, stay in the bay or do not go out.
• If the wind blows out of the bay, the paddle back is harder than it looks.
• A sudden change in wind or clouding over is your cue to head back.
• A red flag on the beach means do not enter the water.

The figures are approximate. Today's forecast is on the weather in Sóller.

• Life jacket on kayak and SUP, even if you swim well.
• Do not go alone outside the bay, and tell someone your route and return time.
• Phone in a waterproof pouch. The emergency number is 112.
• Watch for boats: the Port has tour and fishing boat traffic; keep out of the entrance channel.
• Sun and dehydration: you burn faster on the water than you think. Sun cream and water.
• If you tire, climb on to the board or kayak and wave your arms.

Posidonia oceanica meadows are a protected marine plant that keeps the water clean and clear. Under the Balearic government's Decree 25/2018, anchoring boats on Posidonia is generally prohibited, except with authorised low-impact systems such as mooring buoys. In practice:

• If you hire a boat, do not drop the anchor on the dark patches on the seabed: use buoys or sandy bottom.
• Do not pull up or trample the plant; dry leaves on the shore are part of the ecosystem.
• Do not take shells, urchins or starfish, and do not feed the fish.
• To check specific regulated anchoring zones, see the Balearic government's official site (caib.es, "Cuida la posidonia").

• Swimsuit, towel and water shoes.
• A rash vest or shorty wetsuit in spring and autumn.
• Sunglasses with a strap, a cap and water-resistant sun cream.
• Water and some fruit.
• A waterproof pouch for phone and keys.
• Your own mask and snorkel if you snorkel regularly.
• Your certification card and medical certificate if you will dive.

All activities start from Port de Sóller, about 3 km from the town. The most convenient way is the Sóller tram; if you drive, read parking in Sóller. If you prefer the mountains, there is climbing and cycling.