Canary Islands – West

The western Canary Islands are young volcanic islands rising steeply from the Atlantic, so deep water lies close to the coast. On El Hierro the Punta de la Restinga – Mar de las Calmas marine reserve is dived from La Restinga with licensed centres, with only one boat of at most 12 divers per mooring buoy; its signature site El Bajón is a submerged volcano with strong currents and big schools. Off southern Tenerife short boat rides from Costa Adeje reach the green turtles of El Puertito, caves and walls around Palm-Mar and Punta Rasca, and wrecks from the scuttled twin boats of Los Gemelos to the cement carrier El Condesito lost in 1975. La Palma's volcanic south offers Malpique, with its underwater memorial crosses and a black-coral tower, and Las Cabras, formed by the 1971 eruption. La Gomera is quieter and has fewer verified sites. This is Atlantic, subtropical diving, not coral reef: water is 18–25 °C all year.

Facts

Best season: Diveable all year; calm Mar de las Calmas on El Hierro; La Palma centres call June to December the most comfortable months
Water and visibility: About 18–25 °C; visibility often 20 m or more according to the centres (Tenerife average 20 m, La Palma average about 20 m)
Diving permit: El Hierro: the Punta de la Restinga – Mar de las Calmas marine reserve needs an authorisation (granted to dive centres per calendar year, to individuals per month; boats max 10 m; one boat and at most 12 divers per buoy) – dive with a licensed centre. Check current rules with the La Restinga visitor centre
Getting there: Airports on Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro; inter-island flights and ferries. On El Hierro the dive base La Restinga is at sea level, and the island's high road (about 1,200 m) must be crossed after diving – plan the flight/ascent accordingly
Not a coral reef: Subtropical Atlantic volcanic diving; no hard-coral reef (black coral occurs on some La Palma and El Hierro sites)

Season

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Acceptable: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
Water temperature: 18–25 °C

Diveable all year. Water is about 18–19 C in winter and about 25 C in summer; on El Hierro the sheltered Mar de las Calmas is nearly always calm, but exposed sites such as El Bajón are often too windy. Large animals (manta rays, whale sharks, dolphins, turtles) are reported around El Hierro mostly in late summer and autumn, not guaranteed.

Dive sites (27)

Tenerife

Abades (training bay) – 3–10 m, beginner
Cueva del Palmar (Palm-Mar morays cave) – 17–36 m, advanced
Cueva Neptuno – 18–24 m, intermediate
El Condesito (cement carrier wreck) – 6–20 m, intermediate
El Faro (Punta Rasca) – 6–20 m, beginner
El Meridian (sailing-ship wreck) – 12–32 m, intermediate
El Puertito (Adeje) – green turtles – 6–15 m, beginner
La Caleta (Adeje) – 9–18 m, intermediate
Las Galletas (harbour area) – 5–25 m, intermediate
Los Gemelos (two wrecks) – 18–20 m, beginner
Montaña Amarilla (Costa del Silencio) – 5–18 m, intermediate
Playa Paraíso – 9–24 m, beginner
Roncadores del Palmar – 15–20 m, beginner

El Hierro – La Restinga & Mar de las Calmas

Cueva del Diablo (marine reserve) – 5–10 m, beginner
El Bajón (Mar de las Calmas marine reserve) – 6–50 m, advanced
El Rincón (marine reserve) – 12–20 m, beginner
El Salto / Los Saltos (marine reserve) – 6–40 m, intermediate
La Herradura (marine reserve) – 8–35 m, intermediate
Punta Lajial (marine reserve) – 10–40 m, intermediate
Tacorón (marine reserve) – 10–20 m, beginner

La Palma

El Faro (Fuencaliente lighthouse) – 3–25 m, beginner
La Bombilla (arches) – 10–30 m, intermediate
Las Cabras (Teneguía lava, 1971) – 10–40 m, intermediate
Los Cancajos – 5–30 m, beginner
Malpique (underwater crosses and black coral tower) – 10–50 m, intermediate

La Gomera

Playa de Santiago – 5–22 m, beginner
Valle Gran Rey – 6–24 m, beginner

Operators (8)

Buceo La Restinga – dive centre, Calle la Orchilla s/n, La Restinga, El Hierro
Centro de Buceo El Hierro – dive centre, C/ El Rancho 12, La Restinga, El Hierro
Centro de Buceo El Bajón – dive centre, Calle los Saltos 23, La Restinga, El Hierro
Blue Bottom Diving Tenerife – dive centre, Puerto Colón / Costa Adeje, Tenerife
ScubaDivePro Tenerife – dive centre, Av. Marítima 25, Tabaiba, Tenerife
Buceo Isla Bonita La Palma – dive centre, Ctra. La Costa Cerca Vieja 7, Fuencaliente, La Palma
Punkfish Diving La Palma – dive centre, Calle José Torres Hernández 1, Los Canarios, Fuencaliente, La Palma
Buceo Sub La Palma – dive centre, H10 Taburiente Playa, Los Cancajos, La Palma

Routes (8)

Site positions are approximate (estimated from coast landmarks and published distances) and for orientation only – never for navigation. Reserve and protected-area rules change; always dive with a licensed local centre and check current rules.