Medes Islands – L’Estartit

The Medes Islands (or Illes Medes in Catalan and Islas Medas in Spanish) form an archipelago of seven islands and a few uninhabited islets a little less than a kilometer from the seaside resort of L’Estartit, on the Costa Brava, Catalonia (Spain) in the Mediterranean Sea. The islands are now part of the Montgri Nature Park, the Medes Islands and the Baix Ter.

The total area of the islands is about 21 hectares. There are no harbours or beaches on these islands. The remains of shipwrecks testify to a very ancient human presence. And if these islands were once used as a base for piracy, they are uninhabited since 1934.

The archipelago is a protected area for the entire land area as well as for 511 hectares of sea surface surrounding the islands. The ban on fishing dates back to 1983 and the total protection of fauna and flora dates back to 1990. Dolphins stay there regularly.

The great diversity of underwater fauna present in the Medes Islands constitutes a complex ecosystem, due to the heterogeneity of different types of bottoms and environments that generate a wide variety of ecological niches occupied by different species that are adapted to them. The prohibition on extracting any type of resource from the strictly protected area has resulted in high densities of species, mainly fish, which are rare in other locations. This is why the Medes Islands have become a mandatory stop for all divers in the world.
L’interdiction d’extraire tout type de ressource de la zone strictement protégée a permis de voir de grandes densités d’espèces, principalement des poissons, qui sont rares dans d’autres endroits. C’est pourquoi les Iles Medes sont devenues un arrêt obligatoire pour tous les plongeurs du monde.

PHOCTOPUS went diving for the first time in this Marine Protected Area in November 2011. The images are surprising in an environment very sensitive to the current, in depths sometimes exceeding 40 meters, with an abundance of fauna to watch the groupers. The underwater caves and the multiple cavities of these islands allow us to play with lights and darkness that highlight the colors of the gorgonians.

In 2012, PHOCTOPUS participated for the first time in the international underwater photography competition, MIMA (MEDES, IMATGE I MEDI AMBIENT). On 5th June 2013, under the presidency of Christian PETRON, they won the Environment and Originality Prize. This is their first international participation under the colours of the Monegasque Federation of Underwater Activities (FMAS). Bringing an environmental prize back to Monaco remains a great reward that will allow them to attend the MIMA Challenge every year until the end of the competition in 2016 to give priority to the preservation of the environment.

From 21st May to 15th June 2015, PHOCTOPUS is selected by the City of Estartit for a temporary exhibition on the occasion of MIMA 2015. The images are displayed on the entire coastline of the seaside resort L’Estartit.

Our thanks to the Municipality of Estartit, Catalonia, and the Diving Club and Hotel Les Illes, who always provide all our logistics with a warm welcome and exemplary professionalism – www.hotellesilles.com – info@hotellesilles.com – + 34 972 751 239