Activities · Destination Guide
Volcanic walls, black coral, and starry summit nights on the Atlantic's green Canary Island
Updated Apr 20, 2026 • 36 sources
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La Palma scuba is about lava, visibility, and contrast: black rock against blue Atlantic water, with training-friendly bays on one day and deep volcanic monuments on the next. The official tourism board highlights dive sites spread across much of the coast, while Fuencaliente's south coast adds the island's most dramatic marine-reserve profiles. Expect shore entries, short boat moves, and operator-led site calls based on swell. Many dives sit between 6 m and 30 m, while Torre de Malpique and other advanced profiles can exceed recreational comfort without deep training.
A shoreaccessible southcoast classic where forty stone crosses sit around {{ 20 | distance:m }} in clear water near the marine reserve.
A northeast option near Charco Azul with sponges, soft corals, bream, groupers, amberjacks, parrotfish, nightdive potential, and occasional ray encounters.
A demanding Fuencaliente dive around a massive volcanic column rising from deep water, with black coral, arches, morays, and dramatic wideangle potential.
A flexible eastcoast dive area with easy logistics, basalt canyons, caves, tunnels, fish life, and a famous sunken airplane wing deeper on the route.
A gradual reef from Callaos beach with small caves, arches, hollows, wrasse, cuttlefish, Canary lobster, and ray potential.
Operator Checklist
Book with a licensed local dive center rather than planning self-guided reserve dives. The La Palma Marine Reserve uses authorizations and quotas, and divers should expect to show certification, insurance, and identification when requested. Build at least one flexible day into the itinerary for swell or wind-driven site swaps. For south-coast sites, avoid trampling algae and invertebrate life on lava entries, carry an SMB, and keep excellent buoyancy around black coral and arch routes.
Conditions Fallback
Avoid