Puerto del Carmen (west) - Canary Islands
Okay, so Pto. del Carmen. It’s definitely a busy spot on Lanzarote, tourism is the name of the game here. But don't let the crowds topside put you off the diving entirely. Drop in west of the main buzz and you’ll find decent shore entries and some surprisingly calm pockets. We’ve had good luck spotting Atlantic stargazers buried in the sand, and the painted combers are always darting about. Keep an eye out for sharpnose puffers cruising past the rocks and maybe even a spiny butterfly ray if you're lucky. It's a solid choice for a relaxed afternoon dive, especially if you're staying in the area and want something convenient without too much fuss.
- Location
- Canary Islands, Spain, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 28.919615, -13.675938
- Type
- reef
- Maximum Depth
- 10-25m
Marine Protected Area: Cagafrecho
Best Time to Dive in Canary Islands
The warmest water temperatures in Canary Islands occur in September, averaging 23.7°C. The coolest conditions are in March at 19.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 20.1°C
- February: 19.5°C
- March: 19.3°C
- April: 19.8°C
- May: 20.6°C
- June: 21.8°C
- July: 22.6°C
- August: 23.1°C
- September: 23.7°C
- October: 23.5°C
- November: 22.4°C
- December: 21.3°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Canary Islands
- Abakas I - 15m
- AFRICAN VIOLET - 24m (wreck)
- AL MOTAWAKIL - 7m (wreck)
- AMERICAN STAR - 4m (wreck)
- Añaza - 18m
- Anchors Canary - 23m (wreck)
- Anfi Beach - 7m
- Anfiteatro - 20m
- ANGELA PANDO (FWD PART) - 20m (wreck)
- AOW Deep - 22m (wall)
- Arguineguin Reef - 16m (reef)
- ARONA - 30m (wreck)
- Arrecifal (reef)
- Artificial - 20m (wreck)
- Artificial - Block2 - 20m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Puerto del Carmen (west)
- Acuarios Jandia - PADI, SSI
- Apnea Academy West Europe
- APNEA CANARIAS
- Aqua-Marina - ["PADI"]
- Aquanautic Club Lanzarote
- Aquarius Dive Center SL - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Canary Islands
Home to 80 recorded species including 50 reef fish, 9 whales & dolphins, 8 sharks & rays, 2 octopus & squid, 2 crabs & lobsters, 2 worms.
Notable Species
- Ornate Wrasse (Thalassoma pavo) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense) - Reef Fish
- monkfish (Squatina squatina) - Sharks & Rays
- Damsel fish (Chromis limbata) - Reef Fish
- Bogue (Boops boops) - Reef Fish
- Bastard Grunt (Pomadasys incisus) - Reef Fish
- White Seabream (Diplodus sargus) - Reef Fish
- Sharpnose Puffer (Canthigaster capistrata) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) - Reef Fish
- Comb grouper (Mycteroperca fusca) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Salema (Sarpa salpa) - Reef Fish
- red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) - Reef Fish
- Diamond Lizardfish (Synodus synodus) - Reef Fish
- Blacktail Bream (Diplodus vulgaris) - Reef Fish
- Oman Porgy (Diplodus cervinus) - Reef Fish
- Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) - Reef Fish
- Wide-eyed Flounder (Bothus podas) - Reef Fish
- axillary sea-bream (Pagellus acarne) - Reef Fish
- common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) - Octopus & Squid
Recommended Packing List for Puerto del Carmen (west)
Based on average water temperature of 21.5°C, currents 7 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 21°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories