Diving in Tenerife

Basalt, not coral, defines this coast. Hexagonal columns and lava tunnels replace reef as the defining terrain, with black-sand bays filling the gaps between headlands. Diving spreads across six distinct clusters around the island's edge.

The north, off Puerto de la Cruz, holds the deepest and most technical diving. La Rapadura's stepped basalt wall runs boat-only to 45m, rated for expert divers. La Catedral's skylit chamber and Labyrinth's cave maze sit nearby, both advanced-rated overhead dives. West and northwest, past Los Gigantes toward Garachico and Punta de Teno, swim-through caves and a 150-metre lava tunnel break up a coast that also holds easier bays near Playa San Juan. South and southwest, around Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Las Galletas, the diving turns calmer. Shallow wrecks sit off Palm-Mar. Montana Amarilla's protected bay threads five named routes through easy shallows. Shore entries here suit newer divers learning to dive. The southeast, at Abades and Poris de Abona, adds resident grazing turtles and a seasonal angel shark nursery to gentle sand-and-reef terrain. East of Santa Cruz, Radazul and Tabaiba pair a shore dive scaling to 55m with a deliberately sunk tugboat.

Angel sharks, Critically Endangered, turn up on sand from autumn through winter, concentrated along the south, west and southwest coast. Sightings stay seasonal, never guaranteed. Pilot whales and dolphins are a separate, year-round draw, spotted from whale-watching boats out of Los Cristianos rather than by divers underwater.

No permits, fees or diver quotas apply on this coast. Two Natura 2000 zones cover part of it: Teno-Rasca along the west, Sebadales del Sur along the south. Neither changes how or where you dive, and most of the island's coast carries no formal designation at all.

Water stays warm enough to dive year-round. Summer bottom temperatures run 22-25C, winter drops to 17-19C. A 5mm wetsuit covers most months; add a 7mm or a hood for winter. Shore access is common in the south and east. The north cluster and several west-coast caves run boat-only. Newer divers do best starting in the south or southeast bays, then working up to the north's walls and caves, or the west's lava tunnels, once certified for the depth and current involved.

A volcanic Atlantic coastline: hexagonal basalt columns and sheer walls off Puerto de la Cruz in the north, lava tunnels and swim-through caves along the west and northwest, and sheltered black-sand bays over sand and seagrass across the south and southeast.