Mallorca prepares to host the 2027 World and Spanish Underwater Spearfishing Championships

The Balearic Federation of Underwater Activities (FBDAS) has begun building the human and logistical infrastructure needed for two major events in 2027. The World Championship is expected to take place from the 4th to the 7th of November, while plans are also being explored for Mallorca to host the Spanish Individual Championship beforehand, serving as a full-scale rehearsal ahead of the arrival of the world’s elite competitors.

There is still more than a year to go, but an event of this scale begins long before the first competitor enters the water. It starts with securing boats, recruiting officials, organising teams and ensuring that every athlete is supported by the infrastructure needed to make the championship run smoothly.

With 2027 already in its sights, the Spearfishing Committee of the Balearic Federation of Underwater Activities has begun compiling a register of volunteers and available boats in preparation for what could become one of the most significant years for the sport in Mallorca in recent decades.

Two major events are on the horizon. The first is the Spanish Individual Championship, provisionally scheduled for June 2027, although its venue has yet to be formally confirmed by the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities (FEDAS). The second is already firmly marked on the calendar: the World Spearfishing Championship, which will return to Mallorca in November.

The World Underwater Federation (CMAS) expects the major international event to take place from the 4th to the 7th of November 2027, with local operations spread across the Palma and Porto Cristo areas.

It will also mark a historic return. Mallorca will once again welcome the world’s leading spearfishing competitors, following the editions held on the island in 1985 and 1992. The 2027 championship will reunite a sport deeply rooted in Balearic waters with its premier international competition.

A World Spearfishing Championship depends on far more than the athletes taking part. While competitors search for their catches underwater, a much larger operation runs above the surface to ensure that everything proceeds safely and efficiently.

This is where the latest initiative launched by the FBDAS Spearfishing Committee comes in. The federation is looking to compile a register of boats available throughout the competition days, as well as recruit volunteers to serve as officials aboard competitors’ boats. These roles are essential for overseeing the races and supporting an organisational operation that, particularly at World Championship level, requires substantial human and material resources across the competition areas.

The aim is to establish what resources will be available well in advance and build a sufficiently large network of collaborators before preparations enter their most intensive phase.

Anyone interested in helping organise the events can register through a form available on the federation’s website, indicating their availability and whether they can provide a boat: https://fbdas.com/voluntarios-y-embarcaciones-para-nacional-y-mundial-2027-de-pesca-submarina/

Before November, however, the organisers could face an important first test of this organisational operation.

The official venue for the 2027 Spanish Individual Spearfishing Championship has not yet been formally confirmed by FEDAS. Nevertheless, the Balearic federation is exploring the possibility of hosting the national senior championship in June as well.

This approach would offer clear sporting and organisational benefits. Holding the Spanish Championship first would allow it to serve as a test event for the World Championship, putting the organisational arrangements to the test, assessing the requirements for boats and officials, reviewing competition procedures and providing first-hand insight into the conditions that could be encountered later in areas such as Palma and Porto Cristo.

It would also give athletes and organisers the opportunity to gain recent experience of the same venues where, just a few months later, some of the world’s leading specialists would compete against one another.

Final dates and outstanding details are expected to be confirmed in November 2026, when the federation will communicate the information to everyone who has previously joined the volunteer register.