Abades

Sand gives way almost immediately at Abades, and within a few fin kicks the bay splits into distinct moods. One route stays shallow, threading through El Jardin, a wide seagrass meadow where green turtles graze in full view, before reaching El Arco, an arch-shaped rock riddled with crevices worth a slow pass. A second reef nicknamed the bay's "wild side" holds a tucked-away nook divers call the Trumpet Fish Cave. For trained divers wanting more, a third reef drops away to 25-35m, a genuinely different dive from the gentle sand-and-seagrass entry above it. Local operators run these as separate profiles from the same beach, so the shallow and deep sides of Abades rarely mix on the same dive.

Two things set Abades apart from its neighbours along this coast. It holds a resident population of green turtles that graze the seagrass meadow year-round, not a passing visitor but a fixture of the bay. And from November to March, it doubles as a nursery for angel sharks, a Critically Endangered species that rests camouflaged on the sandy bottom. Neither is presented as a certainty: the turtles are reliably reported but not guaranteed on every dive, and the sharks are a genuinely seasonal encounter that depends on staying still, keeping distance, and never disturbing an animal this vulnerable. Together they make Abades one of the stronger wildlife bays on Tenerife's SE coast without needing a wreck or a landmark to carry the story.

The seagrass meadow rewards patience more than movement. Turtles graze slowly and predictably here, so a diver who hangs back gets a longer, calmer shot than one who chases. El Arco's crevices hold canary damselfish and the occasional octopus tucked into a gap barely wider than the camera housing. In winter, resist the urge to close in on a resting angel shark for the frame; a wide-angle lens from a respectful distance tells the story without crowding an endangered animal that needs to stay undisturbed.

Certification decides which half of Abades you get. Open Water covers the shallow seagrass and reef routes comfortably within 18m, but the third reef's 25-35m profile sits past OW and AOW limits and needs Deep Diver training. Newer divers and anyone on a try-dive are steered toward the open sand rather than El Arco's cave sections, which stay overhead and better suited to divers with more control. A 5mm wetsuit covers summer; bring a 7mm or a hood for the cooler winter water, which is also when the angel sharks are most likely to be around. Local operators run Abades as a training bay across levels, from Discover Scuba Diving through Divemaster, so the gentle sand-and-seagrass entry does double duty as both a wildlife dive and a place to learn.