About the dive centre
Muriel and Joop have been running the dive centre Son Bou Scuba since April 2004, centrally located in Son Bou on the south coast. In 2003, they both worked a season on Menorca and used this time, to explore Menorca and select the best dive sites.
Before Menorca, Muriel and Joop worked for 8 years on the Maldives as dive instructors and base leaders. Their many years of experience, combined with high safety standards and a professional team, guarantee your enjoyable dive holiday. Please click here to meet the team.
Organisation
Every morning we organize a double dive (you can also choose to make a single dive). The dive centre opens daily at 09:00 and around 09:30 we leave with our minibus to the dive sites or the harbor (please note: opening hours may vary slightly depending on the month).
For novices we organise daily Discover Scuba dives in the sea (from 10 years onwards). In the afternoon we conduct scuba lessons and do Bubblemaker dives for the little ones (8 – 10 years) in the swimming pool at 2 minutes walking distance from the dive centre.
To avoid delays, we recommend that you register at least one day in advance. Please bring your certification card and logbook. You will also need insurance for dive accidents and decompression treatment. If you do not have a diving insurance, you can acquire it through us. If you have travel insurance, the policy must mention treatment in a decompression chamber and the amount insured.
Since June 2020, a medical certificate of health is no longer required in Spain. Anyone who wants to dive or enroll in a PADI course can now declare themselves fit to dive, provided that the questionnaire on the first page of the diving medical examination can be answered with ‘no’. If you answer a question with ‘yes’, please follow the instructions on the form. Please click on this link to download the form.
Our dive sites are located all over the island. This allows us to dive every day, regardless of the wind direction. Between the first and second dive we have a surface interval of about 45 minutes, during which we provide you with a small snack and a soft drink or water.
For dives in the Northern Marine Reserve we have a 5-meter Whaly 500R Professional (up to 10 divers) at our disposal. For more distant dive sites we rent boats from other dive centres on the island (up to 12 divers). For your safety and comfort we have communication equipment, oxygen, a first aid kit and spare equipment available, both in the minibuses and on the boats.
Around 14:30 we are back at the dive centre; ideal for divers who want to spend the afternoon with their family or explore the island. As a service we offer to wash your dive equipment for you.
Safety comes first
Son Bou Scuba has all the necessary permits (Authorised Centre CB-19/2010). We comply with all Spanish and European safety laws and regulations. We have emergency oxygen, communication equipment and first aid kits in the dive centre, minibuses and boats.
Specialty training
Son Bou Scuba offers several PADI specialty courses, such as cavern diver, Nitrox, deep, sidemount diver, self-reliant diver and Dolphin rebreather diver, to name a few. Some specialty courses cannot be conducted during the high-season. Please contact us in advance to avoid dissapointment. The PADI Divemaster course, PADI Assistant Instructor, EFR Instructor and the DAN Oxygen Instructor course can only be booked by appointment.
Diving for children
Our little divers have also been thought of! For children aged 8 to 10, every afternoon we organise Bubblemaker dives in the swimming pool, a 2-minute walk from the dive centre. From the age of 10, it is possible to do a Discover Scuba dive in the sea. It is also possible to obtain a PADI Junior Scuba Diver or PADI Junior Open Water Diver diving certificate at the age of 10 (at the discretion of the instructor). Son Bou Scuba has special children's equipment available, such as dive suits, regulators and 5- & 8-litre dive cylinders.
Tec diving
Son Bou Scuba is the specialist for cave diving in Menorca! We offer 15 different caves and caverns in our program, ranging from easy to full cave. For divers who want to gain more experience with caves, we offer the PADI specialties ‘Cavern Diver’ and ‘Intro to Cave’. These courses are a good preparation for the more difficult cave- and cavern dives and ensure that you become an even better diver. More information can be found on our price list page.
For those who like a challenge, we offer ‘Discover Rebreather’ dives. After an extensive equipment and safety briefing, you can make a try-dive in the pool or in the sea with the Dräger Dolphin semi-closed rebreather. We also offer the PADI specialty course ‘Dolphin Semi-Closed Rebreather’, ideal for underwater photographers. If you already have this certificate, you can also rent one of our rebreathers.
For sidemount and technical divers we have 11.1 aluminum tanks available, as well as 12 liter twinsets and 5.6 liter stage tanks with deco gas for deep dives. These tanks can be combined with XDeep Zeos wings, Xdeep Tec, Classic and Diamond sidemount wings. Items such as reels, spools and cave diving lights etc. can of course also be rented.
Equipment
Son Bou Scuba’s dive equipment is practically brand new. Every five years we replace our complete range of BCD’s, regulators and dive cylinders. We have 50 steel tanks from 3 to 15 litres, in both DIN and INT versions. For technical diving, we have double sets and 5.6 & 11.1 litre aluminium tanks.
Because our dive sites are breathtaking, the tanks are filled to 210 BAR by three Bauer compressors with a capacity of 300 litres per minute. The quality of the air is checked regularly and the service is carried out as prescribed by the manufacturer.
Son Bou Scuba is a dealer for Aqualung, Apeks, Fourth Element, Mares, Polaris and XDeep, among others. We have the following equipment for rent for our divers:
- Apeks DS4/ATX-40 regulators with ATX-40 octopus and pressure gauge
- Aqualung Wave BCD’s and XDeep ZEOS wings (sizing from 3XS to XXXL)
- Aqualung I330R dive computers with color display (suitable for Nitrox and deco)
- Aqualung SeaFlare aluminium LED dive lights (1300 lumens)
- Aqualung 5.5 mm dive suits. We have suits in almost all sizes, and these can be combined with a shorty, hood and gloves if desired
At Son Bou Scuba you can rent a complete equipment set for € 15 per dive, so why would you bring your own?
We have digital underwater cameras from Canon and GoPro cameras to rent. If you want, one of our dive guides can make photos or film you during your dive, so that you can relive your diving adventure at home.
The dive centre has a large basin to wash your equipment and enough space to hang up your personal equipment. In our workshop we can check your dive equipment and carry out minor repairs. We are also an authorised Apeks regulator service facility.
After returning we like to sit in front of the dive centre to talk about the dives. In order to be able to identify the fish we have seen, we have several fish ID books at your disposal.
Water temperature
In May, the water of the Mediterranean is still a bit chilly at 15 degrees. A 5-mm hooded suit and gloves are recommended. For those who get cold easily, a 7-mm suit or dry suit is an alternative, especially if you make two dives.
In June the sea water reaches a temperature of about 22 degrees, in July and August even up to 28 degrees. With these temperatures, a shorty or a 3-mm suit are sufficient. For the vacation month of your choice, please use the table below:
| Month | Temperature water ºC | Temperature air ºC | Sunshine hours per day |
| April | 15 | 10-18 | 7 |
| May | 15-18 | 13-21 | 8.5 |
| June | 18-22 | 17-25 | 10 |
| July | 22-26 | 20-28 | 11 |
| August | 25-28 | 21-29 | 10 |
| September | 22-27 | 18-26 | 7 |
| October | 20-22 | 15-22 | 6 |
| November | 18-20 | 11-18 | 4 |
