Dive Sites

DIVE SITES

Dive Sites from the coastEl CabrónRisco VerdeTufiaSardina del NorteCaleta Baja

Municipality Agüimes
Location Playa de El Cabrón (Arinaga)
Access Shore dive
Average Depth 19 m
Maximum Depth 22 m
Difficulty Average
Currents Frequent
Estimated time 45 min

El Cabrón


In the rugged coastal zone of the Agüimes municipality one of the best dive sites on the Island can be found, right next to Playa de El Cabron.
The richness of marine life in the area is so great that it has been nominated to be included in the future Arinaga Marine Reserve.
It is a very attractive dive for those who love the world beneath the waves. At a depth of 12m a rocky platform marks a 23m drop-off which comprises the El Cabron reef front where the highest concentration of different species can be found.
At the base of the reef front there are abundant caves and crevices which shelter drum, some brotula and big-eyes. In front of the reef face there is a large sandy plain where the red-mullet, striped sea bream and a popular zone for roncadores or barred grunts in huge banks of fish typical of El Cabrón.
All along the reef front it is common to see specimens of groupers and island-groupers. The numerous crevices are also the ideal home for moray eels.
Nevertheless, the most spectacular sight by far can be seen in the middle of the water column where groups of barracuda and amber jacks can be seen.

Municipality Agüimes
Location Arinaga
Access Shore dive
Average Depth 10 m
Maximum Depth 22 m
Difficulty Low
Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 50 min

Risco Verde


Risco Verde can be found at the north end of Arinaga beach, on the outer limits of the future Arinaga Marine Reserve and close to the El Cabrón beach.
This is an ideal dive for those who want a peaceful dive full of small fish. The entry and exit are fairly easy from a ladder on the sea wall itself.
On the far left of the bay, the closest to the coast and at a very shallow depth one can find a region of crevices and holes gouged into the rock, totally covered in a seaweed blanket of different species of algae.
Once divers arrive at the fringe zone at the edge of the sands, they can enjoy an environment full of small fish such as damsel fish, nibbling parrotfish or colourful guelde fry that abound in the area.
With a little luck, divers might even see an angelshark or stingray.
This is a simple dive that can be done at night, recommendable for all levels, easy access and a rich abundance of marine life.

Municipality Ingenio 
Location Tufia 
Access Shore dive 
Average Depth 12 m 
Maximum Depth 22 m 
Difficulty Low 
Currents Sheltered 
Estimated time 45 min

Tufia


Tufia has been declared a protected area since 1973 by the Government due to the discovery of archaeological remains that attest to the aboriginal life of the island in its beginnings, an area of approximately 54 hectares that preserves old buildings as well as a set of caves that open in the south side.

Once underwater, you will witness and admire various layers of underwater lava, a multitude of caves and caverns waiting to be explored. A great variety of species where the rays and brunettes stand out for their great representation in a dive with depths ranging between 12 and 22 meters.

Municipality Gáldar
Location Sardina beach and harbour
Access Shore dive
Average Depth 12 m
Maximum Depth 18 m
Difficulty Low
Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 50 min

Sardina del Norte


One of the most frequently visited dive sites can be found in the Sardina area of Galdar. It is a huge bay sheltered from the ocean’s relentless onslaught and the force of the wind, ideal for an initiation to diving, for lovers of submarine photography and for night dives.
A swimming tour that starts on the small sandy beach out to the last dock which allows divers to ready themselves comfortably. Access and egress to the water is incredibly easy from a ladder on one of the harbour walls.
Sea horses, amberjacks, angel sharks, sting rays, butterfly rays, grunts, horse mackerel, bream, sand eels, giant jewel anemones and an almost endless etc, are the almost daily local visitors and inhabitants of the Sardina dive.
Searching amongst the reefface for species such as sponge fish becomes a fun game. And the ever alert barracuda and bogues often offer a spectacle worth watching.
When it’s time to go home, there is nothing better after a dip in the sea than to recharge your batteries in one of the seafront restaurants.

Municipality Gáldar
Location Playa de Caleta de Abajo
Access Shore dive
Average Depth 12 m
Maximum Depth 18 m
Difficulty Average
Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 50 min

Caleta Baja


In the Caleta de Abajo beach, on the north-west coast of the island and very close to Sardina, divers can find one of the most spectacular dives on Gran Canaria, Caleta Baja.
It is a very simple dive although a little dexterity is required on entry and exit.
The great diversity of marine life to be found is outstanding, as much for the variety as for the quantity.
Depending on the time of year and the state of the sea, divers can experience things they will ever forget and that will be difficult to better such as waltzing with manta rays or being surprised by a shoal of horse mackerel.
The big cave with its host bank of grunts and the nearby deep cut are, amongst others, two key features for divers to visit.
All of this, within the chains of sinuous canyons that disappear into the sandy bed, where white sand is incessantly pounded by the ocean and gently covers the basking angel sharks and rays.

Dive Sites from BoatCermona IIPerchelBaja de Pasito BlancoBiotopos de ArguineguinLa CatedralAronaAngela Pando

Municipality Mogán
Location In front of the marina
Access Boat
Average Depth 16 m
Maximum Depth 21 m
Difficulty Medium
Currents Moderate
Estimated time 50 min

Mogán wrecks · “Cermona II”


Leaving from the port of Mogán, known locally as “little Venice”, sailing in a south-westerly direction for 5 minutes, we can find the “Cermona II”. It is a 32 m fishing vessel with a steel hull, which was sunk in May 2002.
The fishing boat is a complete and very attractive wreck, lying on its side, at a depth of 20 metres on a mixed floor of sand and gravel. Its main attraction is the chance for divers to safely explore the bridge and the holds. Taking a peek at the engine-room is always a curious experience, as is having a look in the narrow galley, always taking due care and the relevant precautions.

The wreck is almost entirely covered with a fine layer of algae and provides shelter for vast number of the island’s characteristic crustacean, fish and mollusc species. You can find old the classic vieja, the only indigenous parrot fish in the Canaries. Roncadores or grunts, trumpet-fish, the different damselfish, bream, moray eels and the odd grouper, will make the perfect dive for any enthusiast; and with a bit of luck, you might even see some pelagic fish such as amber jacks, mackerel or other tuna species.

Municipality Mogán
Location Perchel  
Access Boat 
Average Depth 12 m 
Maximum Depth 18 m 
Difficulty Medium 
Currents Moderate 
Estimated time 50 min

Perchel


The diving area of Perchel, is the perfect dive site for those beginners in this world since the average depth is around 12 meters on a volcanic rock platform that descends to 17 where we find a sandy bottom, perfect Hideout for stripes and angels.
A small cave allows us to observe the trumpet fish bank, crystal-eyed fish, tunas and groupers that live around it.

This dive is perfect for us to get carried away by the current along the cliff.

Municipality San Bartolomé de Tirajana
Location Pasito Blanco
Access Boat
Average Depth 15 m
Maximum Depth 19 m
Difficulty Low
Currents Medium
Estimated time 50 min

Pasito Blanco


This dive site can be found 5 minutes due south from the Pasito Blanco leisure port, this dive zone presents a rectangular platform just over 60m long and about 16m wide.
On the sandy bed surrounding this basaltic table, it is not uncommon to find angel-sharks, rays and stingrays.
The tongue of rock is built up of many layers of lava and they gradually lose height as they progress northwards from the max height of 17m at its highest point
A visit to Pasito Blanco to explore all the nooks and crannies can reveal a whole variety of surprises.
It is not uncommon to be greeted by the toothy smile of moray eels or spiny puffer fish awaiting nightfall.
Roncadores or grunts unsuccessfully try to go unnoticed as they team and mill around.
A peacock worm demonstrates the beautiful and yet fragile nature of the reef environment.
Divers shouldn’t forget to look out into the “deep blue” as this is a zone where the pelagic fish pass by such as the rapid tunids and maybe even a formidable amberjack.

Municipality Mogán
Location Opposite Montaña Arena
Access Boat
Average Depth 20 m
Maximum Depth 23 m
Difficulty Medium
Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 40 min

Arguineguín artificial reef

 

Opposite the “Montaña Arena” beach at a depth of 23m on a sandy sea-bed, there are a large number of concrete structures that make up the artificial reef. There are 4 modules which together help promote the proliferation of all the different species. The artificial reef was created in 1991 by the Canaries government under the supervision and monitoring of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The most surprising feature among the great amount of sealife to be found is the vast bank of grunts or roncadores as they are locally known. It is difficult not to want go through the curtain of fish over and over again. On the sandy bed in between the different modules divers can see the timid little sand-eels, and if they look closely following trails in the sand then they might find angel-sharks, rays and electric rays. You can’t go away without exploring every last corner, where you’ll find everything from moray eels and alfonsinos, to octopus and comber. Finally on the ascent to the surface, you can come face to face with the big barracudas.

Municipality Las Palmas de G.C.
Location La Isleta
Access Boat
Average Depth 17 m
Maximum Depth 22 m
Difficulty Low Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 45 min

The Cathedral

The dive is to be found at 20 minutes from the leisure port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, just in front of the “Peninsula del Nido”.
This spectacular dive is renowned for its breathtaking scenery.
The dive begins with a large cave that has a 10m siphon in its upper reaches. The outer walls of the cave drop to 45.50 metres.
During a tour of the Cathedral, divers come across a series of immense vaulted arches so that there are always a number of different ways out and this in turn creates a seascape of shadows and shafts of light.
The rest of the dive is made up of a series of passageways and caves.
The fauna of the zone is made up of sea-urchins, sea-slugs, prawns and small fish such as bogues, wrasse, comber, etc. In all the views out to the deep, with a little bit of luck divers will get to see passing pelagic fish such as amberjacks, barracuda, etc.

 

Municipality Las Palmas de G.C.
Location Bocabarranco
Access Boat
Average Depth 27 m
Maximum Depth 36 m
Difficulty Low
Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 45 min

“Arona” wreck

 

In 1972, a fire in the engine-rooms sent this giant vessel, 110m long, to the bottom of the sea close to the desalination plant for Las Palmas, where it now lies on its starboard side.
The depth of the dive site varies from between 24 and 36 metres.
The wreck is in a relatively good condition as its whole hull is still intact, along with a lot of the decking. Although it is a large wreck, it can be explored in a single dive.
The hull has a great deal of incrustation, and both red and yellow gorgonian fan coral can be found at various points.
A number of other interesting creatures can be found hiding away in the dark interior such as small corals and jewel anemones.
In the higher reaches of the wreck, circling the turrets there are almost always great banks of pelagic fish such as bogues.
These are usually accompanied by the odd group of barracuda or amber jacks. Large groups of roncadores or grunts and besugo swim around the hull, while red-mullet can be found feeding freely on the sea bed.

Municipality Las Palmas de G.C.
Location Isleta
Access Boat
Average Depth 15 m
Maximum Depth 25 m
Difficulty Low
Currents Sheltered
Estimated time 45 min

"Angela Pando" wreck

 Ángela Pando, formerly Solares, is a huge wreck sunk near the coast of La Isleta, in Gran Canaria, when it sailed from Puerto de la Luz and Las Palmas.
Its bow rests on the pitfall where it ran aground, in 1986, about nine hundred meters north of the current Sphinx pier.


Going down the wreck in the anchorage falls slightly to the bow of the bridge. Stern road (to the East), are the bridge, penetrable, and the chimney.
Further aft are the huge rudder blade and the stern mirror, where, raising the algal cover, the first letters of Santander can still be read.
The return to the bow allows a short penetration through the space left by the engine room (it is a fairly open area, without problems).
To the west there is an infinite succession of ribs, decks and bulkheads to the inverted bow.

The route is long and, although shallow in the bow, it can be excessive for a single dive.