Activities · Destination Guide
Volcanic shore dives, angel sharks, and lunar-landscape rest days in the Canary Islands
Updated Apr 20, 2026 • 26 sources
Pick an activity mode to compare signature sites, skill fit, and gear planning notes before you lock your trip.
Lanzarote is a classic local-operator scuba destination: easy flights, compact resorts, strong training infrastructure, and dive sites that range from gentle shore reefs to deeper lava walls and permit-managed La Graciosa trips. Puerto del Carmen's Playa Chica is the workhorse, with more than enough sites for a week of guided shore dives, night dives, photography, and specialties. Playa Blanca adds the Museo Atlantico and Papagayo, while La Graciosa rewards advanced divers with wilder reserve scenery.
The practical heart of Lanzarote diving, with easy entries, training areas, lava relief, sand channels, rays, seahorses, groupers, and multiple named routes from the same bay.
Europe's bestknown sculpturereef dive, set off Playa Blanca in about {{ 12 | distance:m }} to {{ 14 | distance:m }} of water with art installations that double as artificial reef habitat.
A La Graciosa marinereserve wall between Lanzarote and La Graciosa, typically planned by authorized operators for divers ready for boat logistics and possible current.
A Puerto del Carmen favorite where the entrance sits near {{ 18 | distance:m }} and the route rewards divers who are trained, controlled, and comfortable around overheadadjacent lava structure.
A dramatic Puerto del Carmen route for experienced divers, known for a cavernlike lava feature, deeper profile, and encounters with larger Atlantic fish when conditions are settled.
One of La Graciosa's signature advanced sites, valued for black coral and gorgonian scenery in deeper reserve water when permits and sea state allow.
Operator Checklist
Base in Puerto del Carmen for the densest shore-dive schedule, Playa Blanca for Museo Atlantico and Papagayo, or Costa Teguise for a family resort feel. Book La Graciosa reserve dives through licensed local operators because authorization, quotas, boat weather, and no-go zones matter. Spanish recreational-diving rules require suitable training, a buddy, insurance, surface signaling, and conservative planning. Do not treat lava tubes as cave dives unless you are specifically trained and guided.
Conditions Fallback
Avoid