The Canary Islands are volcanic as is the underwater world providing the perfect refuge for a wide variety of marine life. The water is crystal clear and has a temperature of 24 – 25 degrees in summer and 18 – 19 degrees in winter. We have dives available for every level of experience. One of the most stunning features of the marine life in Gran Canaria is the large shoals of fish which you can dive into and become completely surrounded by – a very memorable experience. There is a wide variety of dive sites available and we regularly dive the following sites :

Arguineguin Reef Pasito Blanco Artificial Reef El Pajar Wreck Nature Reserve of Arinaga – ‘El Cabron’ Amadores indicates a boat dive.

El Pajar Wreck

This is the wreck of a 30m long Russian hydrofoil ferry which sank in 2003. It sits upright on the bottom in 18m. You can easily enter the wreck through it’s large panoramic windows and it is possible to swim through the wreck. Part of the interior is still intact including the toilet and some of the seating. In addition there is almost without fail large stingrays resting under hull of the boat on the white sand.

Amadores

Amadores beach was pourpose built with large quantities of white sand imported to make it one of the most beautiful beaches. It is sheltered and the shallow areas are ideal for training. In addition a large wall was built across the bay to keep all the sand in and this in turn attracts a wide variety of marine life including Barracuda, Cuttlefish, Octopus, Squid, Rays, reef fish and large shoals of fish.

Arguineguin Reef

The reef is named after the nearby village and is only a short boat ride away. The reef starts at 11 meters and slowly gets deeper leveling out at around 15 meters. We regularly see large shoals of fish here as well as reef fish and rays.

Pasito Blanco

This is a very nice reef which takes approximately 25 mins to reach by boat. The reef starts at 12 meters and slopes down to 23 meters. There is always life in abundance here including large shoals of yellow gunters, moray eels hiding in the reef , stingrays sleeping in the sand and also barracudas circling overhead.

Artificial Reef

This site is reached by boat in around 30 mins. Artificial Reef is a project belonging to the University of Las Palmas . It consists of a series of different shaped concrete blocks which are set out in a pattern on the sea bed. The maximum depth here is 23 meters. The sandy bottom around the blocks are the ideal place to find all types of rays, Moray Eels live in the blocks themselves and there are also large shoals of fish. In the wintermonths this is an ideal site for spotting Angel Sharks buried in the sand too.

The Nature Reserve at Arinaga – ‘El Cabron’

The El Cabrón Marine Reserve was listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by the European Union on 28th December 2001 and is one of only 3 marine Reserves in the Canary Islands . There is a variety of dive sites in this area including :

The Aquarium The Coral The Sea Horse Net Swim Through The Arch Roncadores

The Aquarium

This dive takes place in the bay at Arinaga. It is a dive of maximum 12 meters so is ideal for those of less experience or as a second dive. We call it the Aquarium due to the exceptionally large number of atlantic & blue fin damsel fish making it just like swimming in an aquarium. In addition there are frequently Octopus, cuttlefish, parrot fish, wrasse and many other species. This is also where in spring there are alot of juvenile fish and also the predators that feed on them such as rays & barracuda. Visibility rarely falls below 15 meters making this as nice and easy dive full of variety and interest.

The Coral

This is the deepest dive in the nature reserve. It slopes very gently therefore making this a long dive so is only suitable for experienced divers. We follow the wall down towards the coral and as we descend we often see Octopus in the rocks as well as the usual canarian species. This is also a good area to spot large trumpet fish. There are also normally moray eels hiding between the rocks. The coral itself is located at 30 meters and hosts some spectacular red and yellow gorgonians.

The Sea Horse Net

The seahorse net is located straight out from the wall and only suitable if the visibility is good. We normally reach it by entering through the swim through or by crossing over the top of the reef depending on experience levels. The seahorse net itself is host to normally at least two seahorses of various colours. Because of the net it is easy to see the seahorses where in their natural environment they are easily camouflaged and not so easy to spot.

Swim Through

The swim through is reached by keeping to the left of the reef and then eventually reaching the swim through which we pass through. There are then several option such as continuing on to the seahorse net or coming over the top of the reef. Whichever route you choose there are always large shoals of fish and many barracuda. In addition there are often rays in the white sand around the swim through.

The Arch

This is one of the most spectacular dives in the nature reserve but can only be done when wind and currents are favourable due to entering from a more exposed channel than the normal entry point. After entering the channel we swim down through a hole to reach around 14 meters. Gradually down the slope we come to a big arch which gives this dive its name.

Roncadores

This dive takes its name after the fish that are always here – the bastard grunts or Roncadores. It is normally reached by swimming across the reef then dropping down to the white sandy bottom at 20 meters. There, emerging from the seabed is a large rock where you are inevitably greeted by the two thousand or so bastard grunts or Roncadores that live here. There are also a large shoal of bream and barracuda hover around and to the side of the shoals.