Safety · Destination Guide
Volcanic reefs, year-round Atlantic diving, and Teide-sized topside adventures
Updated Apr 20, 2026 • 29 sources
Tenerife is approachable, but it is still an Atlantic island with swell, current, rocky exits, boat traffic, and high-altitude topside temptations. The safest plan uses local operators, conservative dive profiles, no solo freediving, beach flags for snorkeling, and strict wildlife distance rules.
Carry a surface marker buoy, dive computer, audible signal, certification card, and insurance information. Use local guides for wrecks, La Catedral, Las Eras, Teno, north-coast routes, caves, or current-prone sites. Do not penetrate wrecks or caverns without training. Freedivers should never train alone and should use floats, lines, and competent buddies. Snorkelers should follow flags and avoid surge-prone lava entries. A Tenerife-specific rule: do not drive or ride up to Teide after diving until your dive computer and conservative altitude guidance allow it.
For serious injury, suspected decompression illness, missing divers, boat emergencies, or dangerous sea conditions, call 112. The Hospital Universitario de Canarias in La Laguna hosts the regional hyperbaric medicine resource used for decompression illness and related emergencies; activation should go through emergency services and dive medical coordination rather than self-driving. DAN Europe offers a 24/7 diving emergency hotline for medical advice and coordination.
North-coast swell can close the plan
Puerto de la Cruz, Garachico, Teno, and some lava-pool swims are more exposed to Atlantic swell. Let local operators make the call.
Lava entries are slippery and sharp
Booties or water shoes help, but the bigger safety rule is patience: watch sets, protect knees and fins, and exit before fatigue.
Wildlife interactions are regulated
Do not swim with, feed, touch, grab, or chase cetaceans, turtles, rays, or angel sharks. Passive observation protects both animals and access.
Summer trade-wind chop affects surface comfort
June to August can be sunny but breezy. Freedive lines, snorkel coves, and small-boat departures often work better in the morning.
The Teno-Rasca marine area protects reefs, sea caves, sandbanks, seagrass habitat, turtles, dolphins, and other species. Keep fins and anchors off seagrass, use legal moorings or authorised anchoring fields, take all trash out, and avoid touching the seabed. Responsible whale-watching rules include keeping distance, limiting observation time, slowing near animals, leaving if animals show disturbance, and never swimming with, feeding, touching, or making noise to attract cetaceans.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when north-coast swell can close the plan. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112 Canarias | General emergency, ambulance, police, fire, marine incident routing | 112 | 24/7 |
| Salvamento Maritimo | Maritime rescue and VHF Channel 16 coordination | 900 202 202 | 24/7 |
| DAN Europe emergency hotline | Diving medical emergency advice and coordination | +39 0642115685 | 24/7 |
| Hospital Universitario de Canarias hyperbaric medicine resource | Hospital-based hyperbaric medicine referral in La Laguna | Use 112 for emergency activation | Emergency referral through Canary Islands health system |