Only 100km from the African mainland and the most eastern of the Canary Islands,Lanzarote, offers aremarkable diving experience. The volcanic formations which have played such a dominant part in shaping the Canary Islands have also formed the underwater seascape of Lanazarote. Many different structures and formations can be found and admired during diving trips.
Diving is possible all year around, because the temperature of the water seldom changes. It only varies between 17 degrees in winter and 24 degrees Celsius during summer. A great variety of fish can be found in the Atlantic Ocean near Lanzarote. Over 350 different kinds of fish and 1200 invertebrates have been counted near the Canaries and diving in Lanzarote offers divers a breathtaking opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat. Different diving areas are accessible by boat, while some places are directly accessible from the shore. Caves, steep faces and gorges can all be seen under the sea surface. It is also possible to dive to shipwrecks.
Trips to the best diving areas are offered by different licensed diving schools. The depth of the dive varies between different diving trips from as little as 5 up to about 45 metres. Prawns, sea horses, anemones, sting rays, goliath groupers, tuna and Atlantic mackerels can be seen alongside the colourful corals. Diving to lava-based grottos and rock formations as big as 20 metres deep and 15 metres wide are also well worth seeing. The 35 metres long wreck of a Moroccan transporter lies in front of the coast of Arrecife, next to Castillo San Juan. Moray eels, crayfish, barracudas and many other fish live in this wreck and make it an amazing sight for all the divers in Lanzarote. Meanwhile, large lava fields can be found in the ocean at Punta Tinosa, which lies in the south of the island, close to the old harbour of Puerto del Carmen. In this area there are many schooling fish and sea urchins to be seen. The reef “Richies Reef” close to the beach Playa Grande offers red corals and octopuses, trumpet fish and rays. Diving in Lanzarote´s sea is a great opportunity to see the beautiful underwater landscape of the Atlantic ocean and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
