Cova del Vell Marí

Sea cave in the very centre of Sitges, on the Llengua de Serp cliff, between Sant Sebastià beach and Platja Fonda.

Sitges • Garraf 36m 1m

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Cova del Vell Marí

Sea cave in the very centre of Sitges, on the Llengua de Serp cliff, between Sant Sebastià beach and Platja Fonda.

Sitges · Garraf

Length: 36 m · Depth: 1 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-del-vell-mari

Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.

Topographic map of the main entrance — Main entrance · ICGC topographic map

Sea cave in the very centre of Sitges, on the Llengua de Serp cliff, between Sant Sebastià beach and Platja Fonda.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Sitges
Region: Garraf
Unit: Garraf, el
Length: 36 meters
Depth: 1 meters
Major Unit: Serralada Litoral
Lithology: Limestone
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: November 20, 2016

Location

Between Sant Sebastià beach and the small cove known as Platja Fonda. On the cliff called Llengua de Serp. The car must be parked in a blue zone.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Cova del Vell Marí
Elevation: 0 m
41.235985, 1.816159
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 400792 4565629
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Topographic

Cova del Vell Marí - Topography, Sitges, Garraf

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Photos

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Description

Morphology

Large mouth (7 x 3 metres). The vault quickly narrows to just over a metre. To the E, a low passage connects with Platja Fonda. On the western side the gallery continues to the exterior, at the point called Llengua de Serp. Towards the interior, a short gallery leads us to the fourth mouth —a narrow joint that also opens onto Platja Fonda— and to the final stretch, where the sand has been replaced by a slope of rounded pebbles that completely block it.

History

Known since remote times, although we have not found it cited in any speleological catalogue. It came to notice through a list of place names of the Costes de Garraf and later, during a boat trip along the entire Garraf coastline, a knowledgeable resident of Sitges corroborated the name of the cavity. The cave was visited and surveyed by members of the ERE – CEC in July 2016.

The name of the cave, Vell Marí, undoubtedly refers to the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), an endangered species. The name vell marí is very widespread along the coasts of Mallorca and Menorca, where there are also some caves bearing this same name. On the coast of Catalonia and the País Valencià it is common to find some caves with the synonym llop marí.