Watersports Guide for Mallorca

With calm seas and over 300 days of sunshine a year, Mallorca is a fantastic place to enjoy canoeing and kayaking. These activities are suitable for all ages and experience levels, whether you're just giving it a go or looking to explore more of the coastline in depth. You’ll find kayaks and canoes available to rent at many of the island’s beaches and watersports centres, often by the hour. For something more adventurous, there are guided trips and courses led by certified instructors, perfect if you want to learn new skills or explore further afield.

The north and east coasts are especially popular thanks to their rugged cliffs, hidden caves, quiet coves and unspoilt beaches. Paddling through Mallorca’s clear turquoise waters is a peaceful and memorable way to see the island from a different perspective – and if you're lucky, you might spot fish or other marine life along the way. Whether you're heading out for a short paddle or a full-day excursion, it’s an enjoyable and rewarding way to connect with Mallorca’s natural beauty.

The perfect adventure for active visitors whilst on holiday. Mallorca’s mountains, streams and rivers create the textbook natural obstacle course! With the supervision of a guide, you can plunge yourself into the mountain streams via a series of abseil descents, jumps and natural water slides. There are a number of adventure companies that offer guided descents down the local waterways, from short beginners’ routes to longer ones for the more experienced individuals. A basic level of swimming ability is required for safety reasons and, whilst canyoning isn’t suitable for very young children, anyone over the age of about 8 can take the (very cold) plunge and try the sport. Different companies will have their own policies on age limits but usually, unless they are booked onto a children's activity course, anyone under the age of about 14 years old will have to be accompanied by an adult.

The whole family can enjoy snorkelling, a great way to begin your underwater adventures without travelling too far away from the comfort of the waters’ surface. Many of the tourist shops in the resorts sell any snorkelling gear you need or try a sports shop if you want to invest in some better quality gear.

Scuba diving is also a fantastic way to explore what lies below. Various diving centres on the island can sort you out with equipment and take you on excursions to show you the best areas to explore.  If you are new to scuba diving, the diving schools around the island are more than equipped to show you the ropes and get you started. For those more experienced, there are endless excursions in Mallorca where you can dive into the beautiful blue waters and explore the depths below. Posidonia meadows filled with colourful fish, octopi, underwater caves, shipwrecks and more await you.

For great diving and snorkelling, try the east and south coast of Mallorca.

Flyboarding (jetpack or hoverboard) has become a 21st-century international sensation in the watersports world. Imagine oversized boots affixed to your feet which allow you to be propelled into the sky above the water. Whilst not all watersports companies have this impressive piece of equipment, you will find more and more companies are investing on it because this surreal experience is becoming beyond popular. Popular destinations for this activity include Port Calanova (next to the bay of Palma), Port de Pollença and Port d'Alcúdia.

Jet ski rental can be found at most sailing centres in Mallorcan marinas, however, do check to see whether you need a license to ride alone as each jet ski centre has different rules, although quite often you don't need you can go out with a licensed guide. Jet skiing is available in places like Port Adriano and Port Calanova.

Remember that you have to stay 250m away from beaches and 50m from cliffs, 100m from other jet skis and 50m from diving buoys. It is also a legal requirement to wear a life-jacket.

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) is a super-popular global sport these days, often described as a cross between surfing and kayaking. It's also a fun way to explore the immediate coastline. Whether going solo or with the whole family and friends, you will find paddle boards to hire on various beaches around the island, usually rented out by the hour. No previous experience is needed, just hop on the board and start paddling.

Parasailing is a completely unique and incredible adventure. It’s also one of the top ways to enjoy Mallorca’s exhilarating coastline views as you experience flying 200 feet in the air whilst getting a real birds-eye view of what’s going on below. Children must be 6 years old to try parasailing.

There are plenty of sailing schools on the island that will accommodate all you budding sailors whatever your level. There’s even an opportunity to take things to the next level by completing your qualified boating or sailing licenses in Mallorca. Palma, Port Calanova, Port de Pollença, Port d’Andratx, Port d'Alcúdia and Santa Ponça have some of the best-known sailing schools on the island.

Mallorca has no shortage of fun-filled attractions for all ages, perfect for family days out or a break from the beach. You can cool off at one of the island’s waterparks, with slides, wave pools and even inflatable obstacle courses floating just offshore.

There are various places around the island to participate in some wakeboarding and waterskiing. Equipment can be hired on the major beaches and harbours, including Cala Millor, Ca'n Picafort, Cala Formentor, Magaluf, Palma Nova, Peguera, Playa de Palma, and Port de Pollença.

Wakeboarders should head to Port d'Alcúdia's famous wakepark. It features a cableski with a slow and gentle pull for beginners as well as kickers and sliders for those who know what they're doing!

There are various windsurfing and kiteboarding schools around the coastline, where it is possible to hire equipment and book tuition. The Bays of Palma and Alcúdia are the top destinations for their good, constant winds. Other beaches where windsurfing is available include Cala Millor, Cala d'Or, Ca'n Picafort, Cala Formentor, Magaluf, Palma Nova, Peguera, Playa de Palma, Port d'Alcúdia, Port de Pollença, Puerto Portals and Santa Ponça but do take care in the summer season when the beaches and sea are full of people.

Keen windsurfers and kitesurfers tend to gather in Son Serra de Marina, on the northeast coast, five miles east of Can Picafort. This is a beautiful unspoilt beach with sand dunes, surf and a glorious mountain backdrop.

It's also possible to surf in Mallorca when conditions allow! Peguera, Cala Major, Sa Rapita, Ca'n Picafort and Sa Marina are some of the favourite spots where you will find surfers gathering on the odd day the surf is up. There is also an artificial wave machine (Flow Rider) at the Wave House in Magaluf where less experienced surfers can improve their skills.

Kiteboarding

There are a few places particularly well known for kitesurfers to catch good waves in Mallorca, try the east coast of Port de Pollença or Son Serra de Marina to catch some of the best waves. Long beaches like S'Arenal, Es Trenc and Sa Rapita are also good choices. The kite surfing schools provide lessons for people of all levels and have different styles of kites and boards for rent. There’s the opportunity to book courses (which is highly recommended for beginners), or individual 1-hour lessons.

Surfing

Even if Mallorca is not well-known on the international surfing circuit, there are some areas where you can try the sport. The beaches around Peguera, Cala Major, Canyamel and Cala Mesquida are your best bets, even if conditions are changeable.

There is an abundance of towed and motorised watersports operators in Mallorca. Donuts, flying carpets, banana boats, torpedos... no matter how you like being pulled behind a speedboat, Ibiza has all the latest in inflatable fun. You can also rent seabobs – a kind of handheld underwater jetski- to cruise underwater. You could also use a seabob with scuba gear if you don’t want to keep coming back up to the surface.