The island has become one of the best diving destinations in Europe, offering more than 100 sites for fans of the sport
Travelling to dive – it’s an excuse as valid as any other, and every year it moves thousands of diving enthusiasts around the world to search for new depths and new encounters.
Lanzarote is an ideal destination for the practice of this sport, thanks to its underwater topography. The island is considered one of the best places in Europe for diving, both for beginners and experts. Every year the island hosts the Open Fotosub Lanzarote Mar de Lava, which demonstrates through images the enormous biodiversity that exists under the coastal waters of the island, as well as its unique underwater landscapes.
The main dive sites in Lanzarote are located in Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca, the northeast coast and the Chinijo Archipelago. In this post we are sharing some of the most outstanding dives in the areas of Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.
1 – Flamingo Beach, a paradise with large shoals of fish
In the southern part of the island, you can dive almost 365 days a year, with calm seas, good visibility and great water temperatures. Playa Flamingo is located in the village of Playa Blanca, in the municipality of Yaiza. This dive is perfect for beginners, and you can even enjoy the seabed and biodiversity by snorkelling.
In front of the beach there are two large stone breakwaters that serve to protect the beach from the waves, but also provide shelter for countless fish, such as grouper, white seabream, alfonsino, parrot fish and two-banded sea bream.
Behind the breakwater you’ll find a sandy white bottom, where bogue, salema porgy, ornate wrasse and grey mullet await you. The dive reaches a maximum of 18 metres and it can be accessed from the beach or from a boat.
2 – Pechiguera lighthouse, following the current towards underwater life
If you approach the seafront promenade of Playa Blanca and look to the right, you’ll see the imposing Punta Pechiguera lighthouse together with its predecessor, built more than 150 years ago.
Beneath the strong waves that often break on its rocks, there’s a large pyramid-shaped rock massif, which if you follow it will take you down to a depth of 50 metres.
Good planning is necessary for this dive, as there is usually a lot of surface current. As you go down the underwater cliff you’ll spot different species in the crevices that offer them a safe refuge.
Grouper, Atlantic salmon, island grouper and barred hogfish may brighten up your visit, and you may also find yourself in the mid-water company of tuna, yellow barracuda or pejerrey, in search of their prey. This is a dive that requires a medium-high skill level.
3 – Barranco del Quíquere wrecks, the conquest of marine fauna
For this dive we change location, visiting the municipality of Tías where you can enjoy three wrecks, submerged just a few metres from the shore. From the coast some steps take you down to the shore where you’ll find a turquoise sea offering extraordinary visibility.
If you dive down to about 40 metres, you’ll find the first two wrecks – both with structures that are still in good condition. If you dive towards the horizon for about 20 metres, you’ll see a third ship, but this time you’ll need to use your imagination a bit, since time has left only its skeleton visible.
During this dive you should pay a lot of attention to the shapes in the sand, as this is a resting place for angelsharks and stingrays, which you can observe from a distance. This dive takes you to a maximum depth of 30 metres.
4 – The submerged port, vestiges of the past
Our fourth recommendation takes us to the area of the village of Puerto del Carmen that is behind the harbour seawall. Here you’ll find another harbour, but in this case one that’s submerged.
There are up to 6 sunken ships that can be seen just a few metres from the harbour seawall, creating an unusual landscape on the seabed. It is advisable to use a boat for this dive and start with the wrecks that are at greater depths, before finishing with the one that is almost touching the seawall.
This is a very attractive place for those who love diving to explore sunken ships, and some of these stand out for their good condition, despite having been on the seabed for years. The maximum depth of this dive is 40 metres and the sea is usually calm.
5 – Playa Chica, Lanzarote’s star diving spot
Playa Chica is arguably the island’s diving mecca. Hundreds of divers come every day to have their first underwater experience from this beach, located in Puerto del Carmen, or to add a new entry in their diving records.
The access is from the beach itself and already in the first few metres you’ll enjoy the company of salema porgy, grey mullet, saddled seabream, bogue and Canary damsel, which approach divers to satisfy their curiosity. Leaving the shore behind, after about 200 metres, you’ll find a drop that will take you from 12 to 45 metres deep, where you’ll find a stone tunnel full of life.
Here you’ll find many species of marine fauna and flora, but perhaps what may be most surprising is the sight of seahorses, which can be found very close to the caves or clinging to old ropes that have become entangled among the edges of the rocks. The first part of this dive is accessible to divers of all levels, but the descent from the cliff requires an intermediate level.
If this taste of Lanzarote dives leaves you wanting to discover even more, we’d like to invite you to take a look at the Lanzarote Dive Guide.
Lanzarote hides another island underwater, full of colour and life. Dare to discover and experience the feeling of freedom that diving gives you:
“Man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free”. – Jacques Cousteau
* Header photo: Eladio Frías y Joana Pereira (X Open Fotosub Lanzarote Mar de Lava)
