Scuba diving in the Canary Islands

With the seven islands surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean scuba diving is a popular sport for visitors and locals alike. The warm, clear waters of the Atlantic are teaming with fish and provide a memorable day out for beginners and more experienced divers.

If you are new to scuba diving many of the scuba diving centres offer a short introductory course where you will learn about the equipment and take a shallow dive with an instructor. This is a great way to discover scuba diving in the Canary Islands and it will give you some amazing memories.

For experienced divers there are many dive sites to visit all over the islands. With an active maritime history scuba diving would not be complete without visiting one of the many wrecks on offer. In Tenerife visit the wreck of The Condesito or The Kalais in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

The volcanic history of the islands can be glimpsed underwater too, with many of the natural reefs being formed from ancient lava flow, giving lots of small caves, swim throughs and nooks and crannies to explore. The Coral Arches in Tenerife and El Cabron Reef on Gran Canaria are both great dives on the natural reefs.

There are also man-made reefs such as the Artificial Reef at Pasito Blanco on Gran Canaria which was made specifically to attract fish and boost marine life, and the breakwaters and sea walls of the beaches and harbours provide gentle dive sites for novice divers.

When you are scuba diving in the Canary Islands you can expect to see a huge range of marine life. Everything from the smallest shrimp to giant rays can be seen, and if you are very lucky maybe even a turtle. On nearly all the diving sites you will see schools of yellow snappers, known locally as roncadores, and wherever yellow snappers collect you are sure to find some barracudas waiting around to make them into lunch. You can also spot several species of moray eels, including the beautiful tiger moray.

Several of the islands boast marine reserves where the underwater landscape is protected from commercial fishing and boating. This gives the marine life a chance to thrive, making these some of the best dives in the islands. Two such sites are the El Cabron Reef at Arinaga in Gran Canaria and the Old Harbour Wrecks in Puerto Del Calma in Lanzarote.

Thanks to the Canary Island Current the sea is warm all year round, ranging from 17 degrees in the winter to 24 in the summer and with visibility in the water between 15 and 25 metres meaning scuba diving is an all year activity.

All the dive centres will provide equipment for hire, but if you are thinking of bringing your own equipment a 5 millimetre wetsuit or semi-dry is suitable all year with an extra shorty with gloves and hood if you feel the cold in the winter.

Whether you are a novice or experienced diver Scuba Diving in the Canary Islands is a wonderful experience either for a day trip or a longer diving holiday.