Shore Dive Scuba Guide Tenerife Spain
Diving in the Canary Islands off the Shores of Tenerife
Sep 23, 2007
While there are dozens of dive sites for scuba divers off the coast of the volcanic island Tenerife, here are just a few shore dives experienced by an American Open Water Certified Scuba Diver, Tim Kizer, who spent two weeks Easter Holiday in Tenerife. Visibility, depth, and sea life observed for each site listed are pertinent to April, 2007.
Las Eras a Great Dive Spot for Scorpion Fish
Depth: 80 feet. Visibility: 60-80 feet. Time: 50 minutes.
Just a 10-minute drive from Abades, lies a quaint, old, little Spanish town, Las Eras.
This dive has a walk in entry. Scorpion fish are everywhere, so this site might appropriately be nicknamed “scorpion fish alley.” A bioluminescent jellyfish-like creature emerged from the depths for an extensive photo shoot including a short video. First, divers drop around and into a rocky point then sheer drop into 60 feet then swim into a huge aquarium of scorpion fish. The surge here is moderate with little current. There is a fabulous swim-through cavern and lots of pinnacles. Starfish cling to rocks in the cavern. Stingrays use the current in cavern to get away quickly. There are also plenty of urchin and octopi to photograph.
Wreck Dive: El Raton
Depth: 100 feet. Visibility: 50-60 feet. Time: 70 minutes.
A decommissioned tugboat was sunk specifically for divers just a few years ago. There is a ladder entry and then it’s a 200-meter surface swim following a pipeline to the wreck at 90 feet. The wreck is 108 feet at its deepest point. The boat is sunk at an angle, and offers great photo opportunities. See stingrays, arrow crab, shrimp and eel. There can be a veritable tornado of jacks and grunts in a thick swarm decreasing visibility. The exit is filled with anemone and urchins.
Scuba Divers See Huge Jellyfish at Pobas De Bona
Depth: 65 feet. Visibility: 75 feet. Time: 70 minutes.
This entry is from a public area off a very slippery landing. First, divers swim underneath a fishing area along a sea wall. At 50 feet, enormous jellyfish can be seen with tentacles 30 feet long. There’s a sheer rock face visible from 60 feet. The yellow, red, and orange sponge formation 20 feet across is an amazing photo opportunity.
Night Dive: Los Christianos Beach
Depth: 35 feet. Visibility: 20-30 feet. Time: 65 minutes.
This is a magical spot for a night dive. Tim Kizer remembers aloud, "when a 4 foot-long silhouette of an Angel shark approached, its eyes glowed in the torchlight. Tons of scorpion fish swam around the rocky point. I rescued a Spanish Dancer from a plastic sheet it was entangled in. Then, I found a spot without any scorpion fish around, turned the lights out, and watched a laser light show of phosphorescent and bioluminescent creatures that resembled fireflies as I dragged my hand through the water. The orange glow of the city lights above in 30 feet of water were at once beautiful and peaceful."
Scuba Diving Among Urchins at Marazul
Depth: 73 feet. Visibility: 60-80 feet. Time: 50 minutes.
This multi-level dive site is near an old banana farm. The entry is a giant stride into unbelievable urchin-filled territory. There, sheer rock faces loom 60+ feet tall. Huge rock piles teeter on a little platform of sand where the bottom of the rock pile has been eroded by the current. The effect is almost like a cavern, so you can swim underneath. There is a small blowhole around which swimmers and divers should be careful due to the strong current. Divers can find two lairs of octopi after exiting the “washing machine” (blow hole). Lots of stingrays, turtles, moray eels, a large school of Roncardores (Bastard Grunts), barracuda, trumpet fish, and of course anemones can be found.
Dive Surging Surf Bowl of Playa Paraiso
Depth: 80 feet. Visibility: 60+ feet. Time: 50 minutes.
This entry has a giant stride into a surging surf bowl. Here there are tons of eels, parrotfish, puffer fish, spotted arrow crabs, anemones, stingrays, eagle rays, butterfly rays, and a reef anchor. During this dive, something blocked out the sun - it was a giant, 8-foot Atlantic ray! This is the haunt of a fang tooth (tiger) moray eel.
El Puertito Good for Beginner Scuba Divers
Depth: 40 feet. Visibility: only 30-40 feet. Time: 75 minutes.
This is a great beginner/warm-up dive because it is a shallow shore dive with a sandy bottom.
Many of the dive sites around Tenerife are overgrown with urchins and it’s becoming a problem. At this particular site, the La Laguna University is conducting a Marine Reserve Project to reduce the area of black spiny sea urchins to encourage the growth of algae and other changes.
El Puertito is another quiet, quaint little Spanish town. This dive site is a haven and feeding spot for frisky green turtles. Here there are lots and lots of fish: snake eels, Atlantic rays, butterfly rays, bull rays, octopus, cuttlefish, angel sharks, Turkish wrasse, parrot fish, arrow crabs, octopi, and more!
Each of theScuba Dive Shops in Tenerife has its own local haunts and favorites, depending on their locations. Tim Kizer latched on to the Dive Shop Tenerife because the owner gave him some one-on-one attention for many of these dives, and because it was close to the accommodations where he was staying.
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