Our story Since 1975
Tabarkeras: more than 50 years sailing to Tabarca
Five decades of a family firm from Santa Pola devoted to a single crossing: the one that takes you to the island of Tabarca.
The origins
How a story tied to Tabarca began
In Santa Pola, the island of Tabarca has always been right there: in plain sight, just over four nautical miles from the port.
This story grew out of that everyday bond between a fishing town and its island. In 1975, Tomás Parodi Ruso and Teresa García Pérez founded a passenger shipping company to carry travellers from Santa Pola across to Tabarca.
It was not a project dreamt up at a desk: it began with one boat, one quay and a crossing that had to be made every single day of the summer. Half a century on, the route is exactly the same, even if almost everything else has changed.
If what you are after is the history of the island itself —the walls, the citadel, the marine reserve—, that is told on the island of Tabarca page.
Timeline
More than five decades of change
From a wooden monohull to catamarans with underwater viewing: this is how the way of reaching Tabarca has changed.
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1975Founded
The company is born, along with the Playa de Tabarca
Tomás Parodi Ruso and Teresa García Pérez set up a passenger shipping company to run excursions from Santa Pola to the island of Tabarca. They do it with a wooden monohull 22 metres long with room for 250 people, named Playa de Tabarca.
- Wooden monohull
- 22 m in length
- 250 passengers
-
1982Expansion
The Bergantín arrives
Visitor numbers to Tabarca are growing and the fleet expands with a second monohull, 18 metres long and carrying 135 passengers, called Bergantín. Two boats make it possible to double up departures and absorb the summer peaks.
- 18 m in length
- 135 passengers
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1988Renewal
The Super Delfín Blanco replaces the Bergantín
The company sells the Bergantín and buys another wooden monohull, the Super Delfín Blanco, 19 metres long and carrying 185 passengers. It is the first fleet changeover in the firm's history: replace the boat before it becomes too small.
- 19 m in length
- 185 passengers
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2000Modernisation
The first catamaran, with underwater viewing
The decisive upgrade arrives: a catamaran 27 metres long carrying 250 passengers is built. It comes fitted out to serve lunches and dinners while cruising Santa Pola bay and, above all, with underwater viewing. A visit to Tabarca gains a fresh draw: seeing the seabed of its marine reserve from inside the boat.
- Catamaran
- 27 m in length
- Underwater viewing
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2007And 2009
The Playa de Tabarca, at the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race
The boat's capabilities take it a long way from its usual route. In 2007 the Emirates Team New Zealand syndicate charters it as a support vessel to follow the racing at the 32nd America's Cup held in Valencia. In 2009 it is the organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race who charter it once again.
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2010The brand is born
Tabarkeras is founded, based in Santa Pola
The family founds Tabarkeras to keep offering the same welcome and the same quality of service on trips to Tabarca from Santa Pola. The catamaran, 27 metres long and fitted with underwater viewing, gains a commercial galley and furnishings for hosting events: you can eat on board on the way to the island.
- Own brand
- Galley on board
- Events
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TodayNow
Two catamarans and a single crossing
Tabarkeras connects the port of Santa Pola with the island of Tabarca every day in around 25 minutes, with two catamarans fitted for underwater viewing and tickets sold online. The stop over the seabed of the reserve is made just before entering the island's port.
- 25 min crossing
- Online ticket
The fleet
How our fleet has evolved
Every change of boat has come down to the same thing: making the trip more comfortable, quicker and more interesting for the people on board.
Between the wooden monohulls of the seventies and eighties and today's catamarans there are three clear gains for passengers: stability —two hulls move far less than one—, capacity, which keeps the frequencies running in August without leaving people ashore, and above all underwater viewing, which turned the trip into part of the visit rather than a simple transfer.
Playa Tabarca Katamarán
A catamaran 27 metres long with four underwater viewing galleries and a galley on board. Its cruising speed is 13 knots.
- 250 passengers
- 4 underwater viewing galleries
- 27 m in length
- Galley on board
Tabarca Kat
A catamaran with room for 250 passengers and two underwater viewing galleries. Built with families and groups in mind.
- 250 passengers
- 2 underwater viewing galleries
- Families and groups
Some outbound departures are covered by the fast launch; they are marked with an asterisk on the timetable and fares page.
The present
Tabarkeras today
We still do one thing only: carrying passengers to and from Santa Pola and the island of Tabarca. The crossing takes around 25 minutes and ends with a stop over the seabed of the reserve before entering the island's port.
What has changed in fifty years is the how: two catamarans with underwater viewing instead of a wooden monohull, a galley on board, and a digital ticket with a QR code instead of a queue at the ticket office. What has not changed is who is behind it and where the boat leaves from.
You can buy your tickets, check the timetable and fares or look at the activities and services we offer on the island.
In figures
Half a century, one and the same route
- 1975Year founded
- 50+ yearsConnecting Santa Pola and Tabarca
- 2 catamaransWith underwater viewing
- 25 minCrossing time
All the figures come from the company's own records and from the service data published on this website. No estimates of cumulative passenger numbers are included.
What comes next
Still sailing
Fifty years make room for a great many summers, a good few boats and more than one generation.
The company Tomás and Teresa founded in 1975 is run today by people who grew up on that same quay. The boats change, the rules change and so does the way you buy a ticket, but the crossing is the one that was made that very first summer.
We will still be here: renewing the fleet when the time comes, looking after the marine reserve we sail across every day and taking people to Tabarca from Santa Pola. You can follow what we are up to on the blog or write to us from the contact page.
Santa Pola → Tabarca
Be part of our story
Fifty years of crossings are best told by making one. Pick your day and set out with us from the port of Santa Pola.
- Since 1975
- A 25-minute crossing
- Catamarans with underwater viewing