Lanzarote Diving

Lanzarote, one of the islands in the Canary Islands, will provide divers with the opportunity to explore an underwater volcanic world with a plethora of unique rock formations to explore combined with crystal clear waters and a collection of unique and colourful marine species to admire. 

Playa Blanca

Diving from Playa Blanca on the island of Lanzarote results in relaxing, beautiful and marine rich dives. This is an ideal location for novice divers to float through crystal clear waters while admiring nature as well as human structures and how the two come together. 

Puerto del Carmen

Puerto del Carmen, a town in Lanzarote Island in the Canary Islands is the kind of destination which allows divers to experience diving within another world, a volcanic world, with unique rock formations, a high abundance of colourful marine species and even a blue hole. 

 

Diving in Lanzarote

Lanzarote is one of the islands which make up the Canary Islands of Spain, located in the North Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. What makes this such a popular diving destination are the stunning beaches, the impressive volcanic landscapes, the warm weather throughout the year and the crystal clear waters teeming with marine life and interesting volcanic underwater topography. There are two port towns which are the main bases divers can go to access some of the best dive sites around the area and those are Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. Both these towns are bustling with a large range of activities to be done on land, as well as many diving sites to be explored. Both towns have multiple dive centres and dive resorts which are experts on the surrounding waters where divers can either go on guided dives or do dive courses. One of the highlights of the area is the unique underwater museum; Museo Atlantico which is a selection of statues and sculptures which are slowly becoming part of the marine environment. Diving in Lanzarote is possible for divers of all levels and with an assortment of interests with a wide variety of things to see and experience.
 

Best time to dive

One of the factors which really attracts visitors and divers to Lanzarote is the warm climate year round. There are four seasons here, but the temperature difference is not as drastic. The air temperatures here range between 17 degrees Celsius in the winter, December to February, up to 26 degrees Celsius in the summer from June to August. The best season to go diving is from April to October which had the best overall weather conditions, with warmer and calmer waters and no rain. The visibility in this region is known to be above average throughout the year with an average of 20 metres and above 35 metres on the best days. The large majority of the species which inhabit the waters here can be found and admired year round, with only a few larger species such as Sharks with visit seasonally, usually in the colder months of the year.

Types of diving

An attractive characteristic of almost every dive site here is the unique volcanic rock underwater topography. This interesting topography, which is made up of features such as large pinnacles and large seamounts, boulders, large plateaus which create overhangs, shallow rocky reefs with cracks and crevices, large canyons, tunnels, arches and swim-throughs to explore, steep walls and deep drop offs. There is also a collection of different types of shipwrecks to be explored here. Some of the highlights include the Blue Hole dive site which is a drop off which really drops down into the abyss and allows divers to experience floating in the blue and the other highlight is the Cathedral cave system which allows divers, even those who do not hold a certification, to dive through an impressive cave. There are dive sites here which are reached by boat and others are done directly from the shore.  

What to see

The volcanic rock topography results in nutrient rich waters which then results in a high abundance of marine species for divers to revel over during their dives. The rocky reefs which are a colourful feature of these dive sites are covered in coral species such as Soft Corals, Hard Corals, Sea Sponges, Anemones which are guarded by their adorable inhabitants the AnemoneFish, the vibrant Orange Corals and many more species. The species which live in the cracks and crevices include a variety of Crustaceans such as Shrimp and Lobster, the colourful sprinkles in the shape of Nudibranchs, Moray Eels, different species of rays such as Stingrays and the majestic Seahorses. The species of fish which roam these waters include Tuna, Jacks, Barracuda, Sardines, Sea Bream and Groupers. There are also a few more unique species which can be spotted here which include the elusive Mola Mola or also known as the Sunfish or Moonfish and another species being the interesting Angel Shark which has made these waters their home. On the luckiest of days, in the right season, there is also the chance to spot other species of sharks or Dolphins which are passing by, but this is a rare occurrence. 

Best places to dive

Museo Atlantico is an underwater museum where divers can see a variety of different statues and sculptures by the artist Jason deCaires Taylor. The aim was to create an artificial reef and connect humans and nature as the statues are all of humans, this is a truly unique diving experience as it’s the only underwater museum in the world. 

The Blue Hole is the famous dive site here, it starts with a garden filled with eels which leads to a swim through which is the gateway to the blue abyss that is the Blue Hole. 

Cathedral is a shore dive which features a cavern for divers to swim through, with a stunning archway, schools of fish inside the cave and a ‘bubble garden’ where divers can swim through their exhaled bubbles. 

Richies Place is the dive site which features the steepest walls and drop offs for a thrilling dive. 

Harbour wrecks is a wreck park made up of 8 wrecks, lying at 12 metres deep for the past 20 years. It is made up of wooden and steel vessels and is a fun diving experience. 

Punta Tinosa Wrecks are 3 fishing boats sunk in 2004 for the goal of creating an artificial reef, and so far it’s done a great job of it, as it becomes more encrusted in coral and surrounded by schools of fish. 

Monatana Roja Reef is the epitome of a relaxing, colourful dive for divers of all levels. There is a thriving reef, sandy bottom filled with marine life and thrilling overhangs and plateaus. 
 

FAQ

There are dive centers in Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.

The top dive centers are the Pura Vida Diving Lanzarote, Active Scuba Divers and Calero Diving.

Open Water Diver prices range from €420-€575. See all Open Water Diver courses in Lanzarote.

Basic Diver prices range from €100-€175. See all Basic Diver courses in Lanzarote.

You can obtain your Open Water Diver in Costa Teguise.

You can obtain your Basic Diver in Costa Teguise.

Diving is available in Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca.