Where to anchor in Ibiza and Formentera, wind by wind
By Luis Carvajal · Updated 1 October 2026
In short: in a tramuntana or gregal, Ibiza's south coast (Cala Jondal, Port Roig). In a southerly, the north coast (Port de Sant Miquel). In an easterly, the west. In a westerly, the east and Es Caló in Formentera. Between the two islands lies the Ses Salines Natural Park: anchor on sand only, use the buoy fields, and treat Es Freus with great respect.
Winds in the Pitiusas
In winter, westerlies and south-westerlies dominate; in summer, the easterly and the thermal sea breeze, which blows on most days between May and October. The easterly also brings the autumn storms to the east coast. Formentera, flat and low, is particularly exposed: the wind is felt more and shelter is scarcer.
The coves you shouldn't miss
The ones that make the trip. Almost all are day anchorages and full in season: choose by the forecast, arrive early and anchor on sand only.
Ibiza, west: Es Vedrà and the sunsets
- Cala d'Hort & Es Vedrà. Sand facing the 382 m islet of Es Vedrà. Sand and seagrass at 5–10 m. Good in northerlies and easterlies; exposed to west and south-west. It is a nature reserve: anchor off the meadow, but no landing on the islets. The planned buoy field is not running yet.
- Sa Pedrera (Atlantis). An old quarry carved into the rock opposite Es Vedrà. Worth seeing in passing from the water in good weather: there is no reliable anchoring information and access by land is dangerous.
- Cala Comte. Very clear water, islets offshore and the island's best sunset. Shallow: stay about 150 m off. Exposed to the west. The Ponent islets are a reserve: no landing.
- Cala Bassa. Sand between weed patches, 5–8 m. Sheltered from everything but the north. Very busy.
- Cala Salada & Saladeta. Turquoise water, but the bottom is almost all seagrass with a few sand patches at 4–6 m: very limited, closely watched anchoring.
Ibiza, north: only without tramuntana
- Benirràs. A semicircular bay, famous for the Sunday sunset drums. Buoyed swimming area, and in 2026 a boat was prosecuted for anchoring on seagrass: find the sand.
- Cala Xarraca. Wide and wild, sand and weed, very quiet in good weather. If the tramuntana comes in, leave.
Ibiza, east
- Cala Sant Vicent. Sand at about 4 m; best at the north end of the beach, away from the rocks to the south. Good shelter in a northerly.
- Tagomago. The private islet off the north-east coast, inside a marine reserve. Anchor at Port de Tagomago, about 6 m on sand and rock. Give the Escull de Tramontana a wide berth and don't pass between that shoal and the island.
Ibiza, south
- Ses Salines. Natural park. In season the buoy field is mandatory; outside it, sand only.
- Cala Jondal. Sand at 5–7 m; the left-hand side is seagrass and off-limits for anchoring. Exposed to the south.
Formentera
- Ses Illetes. White sand and swimming-pool water inside the natural park. Anchor on the light patches, never the dark ones, and outside the La Savina approach channel, where it is forbidden. Next door, the Caló de s'Oli buoy field.
- S'Espalmador. In s'Alga bay, buoys are mandatory in season. Land only through the marked channels; mud baths in the lagoon are forbidden.
- Cala Saona. Sand at 3–5 m, rock near the shore and a buoyed swimming area. Avoid in a westerly or north-westerly. One of the most closely patrolled for seagrass.
- Caló des Mort. Small, sand and rock, with wooden boat sheds. Anchor at around 9 m, as it is rocky closer in. Dangerous in any southerly.
In summer the swimming area of many beaches is marked with yellow buoys: boats may only enter through the marked channels, at 3 knots maximum.
Tramuntana or gregal (N, NE): Ibiza's south coast
The north coast —Cala Xarraca, Benirràs, Portinatx— takes a beating. Shelter lies to the south, around Porroig:
| Anchorage | Bottom | Open to | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cala Jondal | Sand and weed, 5–10 m | SE, S, SW | Good in a tramuntana; very busy in summer. |
| Port Roig (Porroig) | Sand and seagrass, 5–10 m | SW | Very good shelter, fine overnight. Find the sand. |
| Ses Salines | Sand, 4–10 m | SE, S, SW | Inside the Natural Park. Seasonal buoy field. |
In Formentera, a tramuntana chops up the north: La Savina, Espalmador and Illetes.
Migjorn or llebeig (S, SW): Ibiza's north coast
| Anchorage | Bottom | Open to | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port de Sant Miquel & Benirràs | Sand and seagrass, 6–12 m; rock at the edges | NW, N, NE | Sheltered from everything but the north. At the first sign of tramuntana, move. |
| Portinatx | Weed and sand, poor holding | N | Very busy. Dangerous in a mistral or tramuntana. |
| Cala Xarraca | — | N, NE | Bad in a tramuntana. |
Llevant (E): the west
An easterly hits the east coast. On the west side, Cala Salada shelters from east and south-east (sand with rocks, narrow entrance), and Cala Bassa is also protected, though open to the north. In the north-east, the south-west side of Tagomago islet is a good option in an easterly, on sand and rock at about 6 m.
Ponent or mestral (W, NW): the east and Formentera
The west coast, from Cala Molí to Cala d'Hort, is exposed, and Cala Conta, facing west and north, often has swell. Better the east coast:
| Anchorage | Bottom | Open to | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cala Llonga | Sand with seagrass | E (also NE, SE) | Wash from the tourist ferries by day. |
| Cala Sant Vicent | Sand with seagrass mounds, 4–8 m | SE | Escollos Negres reef, and the Llosa des Figueral no-take zone where anchoring is forbidden. |
| Talamanca (Ibiza town) | Rock and weed, doubtful holding | N, E, SE | Don't anchor in less than 3 m. |
| Es Caló de Sant Agustí (Formentera) | Mostly rock, 6–8 m | N, E | Good in a westerly. |
In Formentera, in a westerly you anchor on the east side of Illetes; Cala Saona, open to west and north-west, is no refuge.
Formentera and the Ses Salines Natural Park
Ses Salines, Es Freus, s'Espalmador, Illetes and much of the water between the two islands are a Natural Park. The basic rules:
- Anchor on sand only, in the permitted areas.
- Staying overnight at anchor inside the park requires a permit, daily or annual.
- No landing on the islets, except s'Espalmador.
- At s'Espalmador you may only anchor in the designated areas or on the buoys, and mud baths in the lagoon are forbidden.
PortsIB lays three seasonal buoy fields (1 June to 30 September, extendable to 15 October): Platja de ses Salines, Badia de s'Alga at Espalmador and Es Caló de s'Oli at Illetes. They had 122 buoys in 2025 and are booked at reservas.portsib.es.
Off La Savina, since April 2025 the Balearic Port Authority has banned anchoring in front of Cala Dúo and Beso Beach and set up two entrance channels to the harbour.
Es Freus and the Pas de s'Espalmador
The passages between Ibiza and Formentera call for the chart, daylight and respect:
- Currents: they set west or east, are fairly strong and follow no fixed rule. In a blow they often run against the wind.
- Freu Gros: the main passage, under a mile wide with 6–8.5 m, and the Bajo d'en Pou shoal at 6 m.
- Freu Mitjà: 4 m at most and the Barqueta rock. Only in calm seas and by day.
- Freu Petit: only in calm conditions and in very small boats.
- Castaví shoal, between Espalmador and Castaví.
The Pas de s'Espalmador, between Espalmador and Formentera, is very shallow with strong, shifting currents. Do not cross it on foot or swimming: with a red flag it is forbidden, and people have drowned.
Other areas with their own rules
- Es Freus Marine Reserve: in its no-take zone, east and north-east of s'Espardell, anchoring and scuba diving are forbidden. Some official sources extend the anchoring ban to the whole reserve: check the current rules before anchoring inside.
- North-east Ibiza – Tagomago Marine Reserve: anchoring forbidden in the Llosa des Figueral no-take zone.
- Es Vedrà, es Vedranell and els Illots de Ponent: anchoring allowed except on seagrass, but no landing without authorisation.
- Santa Eulària: anchoring is forbidden inside the harbour.
Seagrass
Anchoring on Posidonia is forbidden throughout the Balearics (Decree 25/2018), and the Pitiusas are among the most closely patrolled areas: in 2026, nine of the government's twenty surveillance boats worked in Ibiza and Formentera, and there were reports filed at Cala Bassa and Sant Antoni bay. How to recognise the meadow and what can happen, in Posidonia: where you can anchor in the Balearics.
How Offing helps
Tap a cove on the chart and Offing tells you the depth, how sea and wind will be hour by hour, and whether the bottom is seagrass according to the government's official mapping, offline too if you downloaded the area. It marks marine reserves and shows the official AEMET forecast.
What it does not do is decide for you: the depth is a model and the seagrass mapping is indicative. In Es Freus, less than anywhere. It warns; it does not authorise.
Offing
Mediterranean chart, Balearic seagrass, the official forecast and a logbook that writes itself. iPhone and Apple Watch, offline, one payment.
Sources
- Masmar, Pitiusas pilot, Punta Xarraca to Santa Eulària, Santa Eulària to Ibiza, Es Vedrà and the south and Es Freus (Spanish)
- Fondear.com, anchoring safely in Ibiza and sailing Formentera (Spanish)
- Government of the Balearic Islands, Ses Salines Natural Park (Spanish)
- Government of the Balearic Islands, PortsIB buoy fields (Catalan)
- Government of the Balearic Islands, Es Vedrà, es Vedranell and els Illots de Ponent reserves (Spanish)
- La Voz de Ibiza, anchoring ban near La Savina (Spanish)
- Teleprensa, seagrass reports at Cala Bassa and Sant Antoni (Spanish)