Your First Scuba Dive in Menorca: Which Intro Experience to Book?
Updated October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
A try dive, usually sold as a baptism or intro dive, is a short lesson followed by a shallow dive with an instructor. You do not need a certificate. Menorca has five on GetYourGuide, and they differ less in price than in where you dive.
The five experiences
| Experience | Duration | Price per person | Rating | What the listing says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptism scuba diving in the marine reserve | 2.5 hours | €95 | 4.7 from 313 reviews | Learn the basic rules with an instructor, then dive in the marine reserve |
| Cala Galdana intro to scuba diving for beginners | 2.5 hours | €85 | 4.9 from 103 reviews | Small groups, a dedicated instructor, submerged arches |
| Scuba diving baptism from Son Xoriguer | 2 hours | €85 | 5.0 from 28 reviews | SSI Try Scuba Diving with a certified instructor |
| Scuba diving baptism from a boat in the northern marine reserve | 2.5 hours | €99 | 4.9 from 10 reviews | First dive from a boat in the north Menorca marine reserve |
| Diving baptism from a boat with photos included | 3.5 hours | €110 | 5.0 from 1 review | Departure by boat from the cruise port of Cala’n Bosch, with free photos |
The prices are close, so choose by place and by the number of reviews behind the rating. The first has by far the most (313) and is marked as a bestseller. The fourth has ten and the fifth only one, which is too few to say anything beyond “no complaints yet”.
What “marine reserve” means
Two marine reserves are relevant here. The Marine Reserve of the North of Menorca was created by an order of 15 June 1999. The Illa de l’Aire Marine Reserve, at the south-eastern tip, was established by a decree of 12 April 2019. A regional order of 5 June 2026 regulates boat speeds in the Illa de l’Aire reserve and the practice of group scuba diving in Menorca’s marine reserves.
Group diving in a reserve is therefore regulated, which is a reason to book through a centre that works there routinely and not to improvise. The details of the 2026 order are for the centre to explain; ask whether anything in it affects your dive.
The listings do not give the exact dive sites, so do not assume the first experience dives in the north reserve or the south. Ask.
Land or boat
Only the northern experience and the Cala’n Bosch one say outright that the dive starts from a boat. The others do not say, so ask whether you enter from the shore or from a boat. It changes the meeting point and how long you are away from the harbour.
The things to settle before you pay
Every centre sets its own conditions, and the listings summarised here do not carry them. On the booking page, and if needed by message to the centre, find out:
- Minimum age and any upper limit. Do not assume a number; operators differ.
- Health requirements. A try dive normally involves a questionnaire. Some conditions mean you need a doctor’s clearance before you dive. Whether that applies to you is a question for your doctor, not for a guide.
- Swimming. Whether you need to be able to swim, and how well, is set by the centre.
- Group size and instructor ratio. “Small groups” in a listing is not a number.
- Equipment and photos. Whether the wetsuit and mask are included, and whether photos cost extra.
- Cancellation. Weather decides whether diving goes ahead. Book the first day, not the last.
If you are also thinking of snorkelling instead, a cheaper and lighter way to see the same water, see the diving and snorkelling in Menorca page, which lists the snorkel trips too.
Who it suits
A try dive suits someone curious, comfortable in water, and willing to follow an instructor’s instructions precisely. It does not suit someone who dislikes having their face under water or who is anxious about breathing from a regulator; in that case a glass-bottom boat is a better way to see the same sea. The Cala Galdana glass-bottom trip is covered in our guide to the calas, and the Mahón harbour cruise has underwater viewing too.
