The Medes Islands Marine Reserve

Medes Islands Marine Reserve

The archipelago of the Medes Islands is a group of islands that encompass a total area of 21.5 hectares and is situated a mile off the Montgri Massif. It is an area of extraordinary biological and ecological importance due to the variety of species and environments it maintains. All the underwater environments to be found in the Mediterranean are represented in the seabed around the Medes Islands, or Ilas Medes, making this little archipelago an area of exceptional ecological value and one with the greatest biomass in the whole of the Mediterranean Sea.

Protection of the islands began in 1983 with an Order of the Government of Catalunya, and in 1990 the protection was increased to the seabed flora and fauna, encouraging a spectacular recovery of the natural marine heritage and turning the area into a sanctuary for numerous species in danger of extinction. Some of the friendly groupers here are more than 25 years old. On 14 November 2008 a further decree was published approving a four year plan governing the use and management of the Medes Islands Protected Area.

The Medes Islands Protected Zone covers an area of 93.2 hectares with another protected 418 hectare area stretching around the islands and up to the Montgrí coast. All diving within the Medes Islands Marine Reserve is strictly regulated and requires a specific license.  A range of depths provides dives for all levels from professional divers to absolute beginners and everyone can enjoy the colourful spectacle of underwater sea life here.

There are a number of factors that make the Medes Islands such a rich and spectacular marine environment. The River Ter contributing organic matter along with the diverse composition of the marine substratum have a major effect. However, the influence of the northerly winds and currents that favour the entrance of deep water, rich in nutrients, also have a huge effect. All these influences produce an area of high biodiversity and productivity.

Jacques Cousteau visited the Medes Islands in his ocean marine research vessel Calypso back in 1955. He drew attention to the need to research, record and preserve the rich ecosystems that he found whilst diving there before they disappeared. Jacques and his team made an exhaustive study of the flora and fauna and 1,345 underwater plant and animal species have been recorded there since that time and the Medes Islands ecosystem is deservedly classified as the best natural reserve in the western Mediterranean.

Specialist diving magazines consider the Medes Islands Protected Zone, with its 65,000 annual dives, as a model of good management in marine conservation. Watch a documentary about the Medes Islands

The Medes Islands are now even more famous....

There’s a Wii game entitled Dive: The Medes Islands Secret.

“It was in the Great Medes Monastery, in 1412, where Martin I “The Human”, leader of an Order of the Temple and long-time resident of the island, was buried. The secrets of the Order were also buried with him, where they would be sealed in the same crypt and kept through the centuries. But two hundred years later, an earthquake split the island in two and the crypt disappeared into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea.”

This is the start of the story that will take John Sanders, the hero, on an adventure through the 10 levels that make up the game “DIVE: The Medes Islands Secret”, a Platform/Action game that is rooted on the Medes Islands, a fantastic protected natural landscape located at the heart of the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain.

Dive: The Medes Islands Secret recreates underwater scenes from 10 different real locations from around the world, with large levels filled with enemies, mazes, dangers and treasures. It contains an economic system that will enable players to exchange or upgrade their diving equipment, which is required to reach the deepest mysteries.

Spectacular graphics. The marine flora and fauna have been recreated in detail, making the most of the Wii™’s graphics and storage capacities of the WiiWare™ service.

The game features 10 Levels: Accompanied by 10 different real locations. During his adventure, John Sanders will travel to the Medes Islands, Cap de Creus, Cayman Islands, Tortuga Island, Bermuda or Santorini.

Sounds like the next best thing to diving!!!

Watch the trailer here: