Alcudia Boat Trips on the Bay
Alcudia boat trips explore the crystal waters and coastline of Mallorca's northeast bay, departing from Puerto de Alcudia marina. These maritime excursions range from glass-bottom vessel tours revealing Mediterranean marine life to sailing charters that anchor at secluded coves like Cala San Vicente. Most alcudia boat trips tours include snorkeling equipment and onboard refreshments, with routes passing Cap des Pinar lighthouse and the Alcanada islet.
The Bay of Alcudia stretches 10 kilometres along Mallorca's northeast coast, a shallow crescent where the seabed remains visible at depths approaching 30 metres.
Roman galleys once sheltered here; the port of Pollentia handled North African grain shipments from the first century BCE until the Vandal raids of 426 CE emptied the settlement. Today's Puerto de Alcúdia occupies the same natural harbour, its breakwaters extending from the medieval walls that replaced the Roman fortifications in the 14th century.
Marine traffic resumed in earnest after 1778, when Carlos III opened Mallorca's ports to Atlantic trade. Fishing boats worked the bay's sandbanks until tourism reshaped the waterfront in the 1960s. The shallow gradient and transparent water now support a different economy: glass-bottom vessels depart hourly for the Cala Figuera caves, where Jurassic limestone meets the tideline in vertical folds. Dolphin populations—primarily common and bottlenose species—patrol the deeper channels beyond Alcanada Island, visible from shore as a 19th-century lighthouse on a tidal outcrop.
Cap de Formentor, the peninsula's northernmost point, lies 20 nautical miles east. Boats round the cape to reach Coll Baix, an undeveloped cove accessible only by sea or a two-hour mountain trail. The water here holds at 24 degrees Celsius from June through September, dropping to 14 in February. Posidonia meadows carpet the shallows—UNESCO recognizes these seagrass beds as critical habitat, their roots stabilizing sediment and oxygenating coastal zones.
Operators run both scheduled group departures and private charters. Glass-bottom platforms allow observation without snorkelling equipment, while full-day itineraries include swim stops at Es Coll Baix and the Formentor cliffs. Most vessels carry 30 to 80 passengers; smaller rigid inflatables take 12. Morning departures benefit from calmer conditions—the embat, Mallorca's thermal sea breeze, typically builds after 11:00, roughening the surface and reducing underwater visibility. Afternoon light, however, illuminates the cave interiors more fully, the sun angle penetrating the openings between 14:00 and 16:30.
3 hr
