Núria boat
The Núria is a traditional nine-metre-long fishing boat which has been converted to carry passengers. With a maximum capacity of twenty people and it is equipped with a glass-bottom under its hull to provide views of the seabed.
A bit of history ...
In 1942, on the very beach of l'Estartit, Jaume Farró had the 'Núria' built, a Catalan llaüt for seine fishing. At that time, five men worked: four on the boat and one in the light boat, used to attract fish to the surface.
With the arrival of tourism in the 1950s, the Núria combined fishing with the first passenger trips. The boat would fish at night and, in the morning upon arriving at the port, Jaume and his son Quimet cleaned and turned the fish boxes, which became benches for tourists wanting to visit the Medes Islands, where they would see the lighthouse and go swimming.
As tourism took hold in the town and throughout the Costa Brava, the Farró family decided that the Núria would stop fishing and focus on passenger excursions. Thus, in 1965, 'Excursions Marítimes Núria' was born, and benches were installed on the boat to make the journey more comfortable for travelers.
The route grew longer over time, first reaching the Foradada rock, where tourists were amazed as the boat passed underneath, and later to the three caves, where even today the Núria enters the deepest cave. For a time, they even took tourists to visit the Ruins of Empúries.
In the 1980s, the current skipper, Quim Farró, son of Quimet, joined, making him the third generation at the helm of the Núria. During that decade, the boat underwent major restoration: it changed from wood to fiberglass and windows were installed in the hull to view the seabed.
In 2020, in its commitment to sustainable tourism, the Núria joined the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST)
The ECST is an initiative of the EUROPARC Federation which, among other things, means that managers of protected natural areas and participating businesses work together towards the sustainability of the destination.
