What you can see on the Cala Comte webcam
From the hills behind the coast, the camera looks west over a dark band of pines to the sea. Out on the water sits s'Illa des Bosc, the rounded, wooded islet that closes the view from the beach, with flatter islets and reefs scattered to either side and the long shape of sa Conillera to the north. Boats are often anchored off the coves in summer. It is not live video but a time-lapse built from pictures taken through the day, which is plenty to judge the cloud, the light and whether a clear sunset is on the way.
Cala Comte islets at sunset
From the hills above Cala Comte, on Ibiza's west coast, this camera looks west over a band of pines to the sea. The rounded, wooded islet of s'Illa des Bosc sits in the middle of the view, with smaller flat islets and reefs to the left and the long shape of sa Conillera on the right. The coves themselves are hidden below the trees.
It is a time-lapse rather than live video, built from pictures taken through the day. Watch it in the late afternoon: it shows whether the sky over the islets is clearing for the sunset that Cala Comte is famous for, or whether cloud is rolling in from the sea.
A count's beaches and a row of islets
The name comes from Nuño Sánchez, Count of Roussillon, one of the leaders of the 13th-century Catalan conquest of Ibiza: comte means count. Strictly, Platges de Comte are two beaches on either side of a small rocky headland, one facing north and one facing west, plus a couple of smaller coves, about 800 metres of coast in all. Sea currents running between the islets help keep the water so clear, and the rocks around the coves are a favourite with snorkellers.
When to watch Cala Comte
Ibiza is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The coast faces west, so this is a sunset camera: in summer the sun goes down behind the islets late in the evening, and the hour before is when the sky is at its best. Mornings show the water at its calmest and the beaches at their emptiest.
Around Cala Comte
San Antonio is about 6 miles (10 km) away, and in summer boats run from its harbour to the beach. Cala Bassa, another popular sandy cove, lies a short way east around the coast.
Visiting Cala Comte
The coves are signposted from the village of Sant Agustí des Vedrà, and there are buses from San Antonio and Ibiza Town in summer. The clifftop car park fills early in high season. Lifeguards patrol the beach in summer. There is little natural shade, and the rocks around the coves are sharp, so beach shoes help.
