Is Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura) good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 6 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Black Beach, Flamingo Wall and Muelle de Morro Jable. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)?

The water is usually between 18 °C and 25 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)?

Divers regularly see angel shark (Nov–Apr), eagle rays (May–Nov), stingrays (May–Nov), barracuda, sardine and cuttlefish.

Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)

Diving in Spain

12 documented dive sites, 6 of them for Open Water divers. Known for angel shark, eagle rays and stingrays.

Good months: All year
Water: 18–25 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura) in October

Good season

Sea: 23 °C; at the surface
Air: 27 °C; 20 °C at night
Rain: 20 mm; average for the year
Wind: 16 km/h; on average

The warmest water of the year.

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Diving all year (some centres close at Christmas and New Year). Angel sharks best Nov–Apr, rays more common May–Nov, warmest water Jun–Oct; south winds are the main limiting factor.

Source: manta-diving-lanzarote.com

Dive sites in Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Some sites, such as Bajón del Río and Ajuy, depend on current and sea conditions.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m6 sites

Drift

down to 18 m

Black Beach

An 18 m dive that drifts along a lava reef back to Playa Chica, with seahorses, octopus, cuttlefish and crabs.

Open Water
Cuttlefish

Wall

down to 17 m

Flamingo Wall

A 17 m boat dive along a wall off Playa Blanca with regular sightings of barracuda, trumpetfish, angel sharks and rays.

Open Water
Angel shark

Jetty / pier

down to 14 m

Muelle de Morro Jable

Shallow 0–14 m pier dive at Morro Jable for beginners, with schools of barracuda and amberjacks, trumpetfish and groupers.

Open Water
Barracuda

Artificial reef

down to 15 m

Museo Atlántico

Europe's first underwater museum: over 300 sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor off Lanzarote.

Open Water
Angel shark

Reef

down to 40 m

Playa Chica

Shore dive on Puerto del Carmen's house reef with cuttlefish, seahorses, nudibranchs, stingrays, butterfly rays and angel sharks.

Open Water
Angel shark

down to 14 m

El Cañón

Easy 14 m dive off Morro Jable on a rocky-sandy seabed where you are quite likely to see angel sharks resting.

Open Water
Angel shark

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m5 sites

Drift

down to 30 m

Punta Tiñosa

A boat drift along a rare lava-flow reef at 18–30 m.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 40 m

Harbour Wrecks

Several wrecks just outside Puerto del Carmen's old harbour, with barracuda, rays and angel sharks.

Advanced
Angel shark

Wall

down to 40 m

Veril Grande

From 20 m a wall drops vertically to about 40 m, with stingrays and angel sharks; whale sharks have occasionally been sighted.

Advanced
Whale sharks

down to 35 m

Blue Hole

Follow the reef past a garden-eel field, then dive through the Blue Hole, a passage in the reef.

Advanced
Angel shark

down to 40 m

Cathedral

Shore dive from the beach to a cave at 30 m, with large groupers, large shoals of sardines and black coral.

Advanced
Nudibranchs

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m1 site

down to 40 m

Bajón del Río

Parasol-shaped volcanic crags rise several metres from golden sand in the strait between Fuerteventura and Lobos.

Experienced
Stingrays

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Angel sharkSource: manta-diving-lanzarote.com
Eagle raysSource: manta-diving-lanzarote.com
StingraysSource: manta-diving-lanzarote.com

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Barracuda
Sardine
Cuttlefish
Nudibranchs
Octopus
Seahorses
Garden eels
Groupers
Moray eels
Whale sharks
Manta rays
Turtles
Mobula rays

Where is Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Lanzarote (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura): frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)?: Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura) can be dived all year round. Diving all year (some centres close at Christmas and New Year). Angel sharks best Nov–Apr, rays more common May–Nov, warmest water Jun–Oct; south winds are the main limiting factor.
Is Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura) good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 6 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Black Beach, Flamingo Wall and Muelle de Morro Jable. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)?: The water is usually between 18 °C and 25 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Canary Islands (Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)?: Divers regularly see angel shark (Nov–Apr), eagle rays (May–Nov), stingrays (May–Nov), barracuda, sardine and cuttlefish.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash