Scuba Diving in the Canary Islands: Tenerife Reefs
With more than 234 kilometer of sea shore, Tenerife in the Canary Islands archipelago and a warm and pleasant sub-tropical climate is a perfect place to practice aquatics sports 2 fly hours from main Europe.
The island also offers a rich nature to the visitor; it’s acclaimed for his ancient forestry and the variety of sea birds that nest in the island, and a huge gastronomic offer with multicultural flavors.
These facts justify the more of six millions of tourist that Tenerife receives every year.
For the visitants who are interested in the practice of scuba diving and snorkeling the island is a little paradise close to Europe with clear waters that allow a visibility of more than 30 meters and a warm water temperature for all the year. Not only that the volcanic precedence of the island creates a variety of underwater cliffs and walls, caves, tunnels and basaltic columns.
Reefs in Tenerife
But wait; there are reefs in the canary Island? Of course, there are not the same coral organisms than in the Tana Reefs but, the variety of volcanic submarine structures in the sea floor allows the development of a rich of underwater biodiversity.
Over the rocky marine floor grows a variety of coral and algae life forms that serve as food and shelter for fish and invertebrate organism.
The influence of the tides and oceanic current in the island also create different conditions around the shore of the island, this facts united to the effects of being an oasis of life in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean increases the biodiversity present for the diver and the underwater photographer who ventures this waters.
to follow on your holidays?
Don't miss the Teide peakexperience : on foot or by cable car.
Get to know the most visited national park in Europe and climb the highest peak in Spain. Exceed your limits in this excursion to Teide peak with permits.
If you want to live a unique and environmentally friendly experience, and also get to know the Teide National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the help of a guide Senda, book your place for a guided tour of Teide with permits.
Diving in Tenerife
As the rest of the islands in the Canary archipelago, Tenerife offers a multitude of places where to practice scuba diving and snorkeling. In the south side of the island are the most visited places for the divers because the sea currents are weaker compared to the north and it’s more accessible for the visitors.
The south side of the island is made mostly from sandy sea floors conforms beautiful underwater scenery, but of the most experienced diver the north side of the island which is more influenced by the volcanic origin is a excellent place to practice this water sport. The most exposed rocky north side with his tunnels and caves are excellent places for the development of the marine reefs and a really breathtaking place to visit.
Montaña Amarilla
Declared natural monument, Montaña Amarilla is translated as Yellow Mountain. Located at the south of the island of Tenerife is a geologic formation made from underwater volcanic eruptions, there you can appreciate a set of aligned volcanoes and different basaltic and pyroclastic formations from land and sea.
Diving or snorkeling in these waters you can take a close look to the reefs that form in this area from the eroded basaltic rocks that serve as shelter for all kind of marine life, a truly amazing view.
Also this zone is very gentle with the diver because it’s well protected from the sea currents and the water is very clear, it’s a good place to the people who is being introduced in the underwater sports.
La Catedral
Situated at the north side of Tenerife, this underwater cannon structure with arcs and windows where the sunlight filter to the bottom remind to the visitor to a cathedral.
It’s located at 35 meters deep is inhabited for a huge community of gorgonian corals and a variety of fish of which stands out the moray eels that are easily sighted in La Catedral.
Located on the north coast is a place of a moderate difficulty where you can face strong sea currents and waves, but the beauty of the place deserves the risk.
El Simplon Reef (Tenerife)
Again on the north side of the island, near the locality of Puerto de la Cruz, is located El Simplon.
There you can have a sight a variety of caves and arcs of volcanic formation that is inhabited for an extraordinary diverse of marine life, communities of huge anemones that serve of shelter to fish and crustaceans, and as big attraction stingrays that uses this places as hunting ground.
El Simplon Reef is located between 12 and 20 meters deep and it’s not exposed to strong sea currents, which make this place a good place to people who are getting introduced to scuba diving.
The Rapadura
Under the waters of Tenerife is a place that was cover page in National Geographic, this place is La Rapadura.
It’s a basaltic formation made from the interaction from the volcanic magma with the sea water that had left us with this regular hexagonal column structure that are a truly spectacle to the sight.
Nothing that we can write here can describe the beauty of this place so the only thing we can do is encourage you to visit this place. But take into account that is situated at 50 meters deep so its reserved for divers with some experience.
