SCUBA diving in Gran Canaria

Scuba diving in Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria has a fantastic selection of scuba diving and snorkelling sites which will delight divers of all levels and abilities. The waters are sub-tropical so never get too cold, even in Winter, so diving centres are open all year round.   There are sheltered bays and coves where you can take an experience or training dive, or deeper wrecks where more experienced divers can explore and as you travel around the island, there are a number of main dive sites which visitors explore on a regular basis.

Working clockwise around the coast from the airport, the best diving on the island is unquestionably the Arinaga Marine Reserve on the east coast, known better as 'El Cabrón', where divers from most of the major dive schools can be found every day of the week. This area has a very wide species list, including angel sharks and rays, and even the odd turtle.  The volcanic reefs here teem with colourful parrotfish, wrasse and bream.   No visit to Gran Canaria is complete without at least a day's diving here.

Past the sandy beaches of Maspalomas and the southern tip of the island, the west coast offers numerous coves and bays between Pasito Blanco and Mogan, and a few off-shore dive sites such as Pasito Blanco, which provide a variety of relatively easy dives at depths of 15 to 25 metres, and several small wrecks to dive on.??The north-west coast is largely inaccessible, but at Sardina del Norte there is an easy entry in the harbour where you can find a wide selection of canarian species including seahorse and rays.   Near to here is a special site which sometimes in summer has visiting Mobular rays (a type of Manta or devil-ray)

Finally in Las Palmas, in the North East. the best wreck diving can be found, with La Catedral and Barra de Las Canteras being the other most significant dives. ??In July 2005 Gran Canaria was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by the UN, and several areas both inland and around the coast have been listed by the EU as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but to date only the 'El Cabrón' area has formally been proposed to the Ministerio for the status of Marine Reserve.   In 2007 the Gobierno de Canarias introduced a registration system for dive centres, and has since approved just 13 centres to provide diver training and dive excursions.

There is a comprehensive guide to scuba diving in Gran Canaria, and the marine life here at "divers guide to scuba diving in Gran Canaria

Thanks to Brian Goldthorpe of the PADI Scuba diving centre in Gran Canaria Davy Jones Diving Centre, Arinaga, Gran Canaria for sharing some of his knowledge on the scuba diving in Gran Canaria.