When is the best time to dive Tenerife?

Tenerife can be dived all year round. Dived all year; water ranges from about 20 °C in winter to 24 °C in summer.

Is Tenerife good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 4 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Abades, Alcalá and Las Vistas. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Tenerife?

The water is usually between 20 °C and 24 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Tenerife?

Divers regularly see angel shark (Dec–Feb), turtles (all year), stingrays, barracuda, cuttlefish and nudibranchs.

Tenerife

Diving in Spain

11 documented dive sites, 4 of them for Open Water divers. Known for angel shark, turtles and stingrays.

Good months: All year
Water: 20–24 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: TFS

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

Tenerife in October

Good season

Sea: 25 °C; at the surface
Air: 28 °C; 21 °C at night
Rain: 10 mm; one of the driest months
Wind: 10 km/h; on average

Exposure suit: 2 mm shorty or 1 mm full suit · if you feel the cold: 3 mm full suit. How we choose

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.

Compare with another destination

Dived all year; water ranges from about 20 °C in winter to 24 °C in summer.

Source: aquarius-divingtenerife.com

Dive sites in Tenerife

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

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m4 sites

Reef

down to 20 m

Abades

Sheltered bay of sand, seagrass and two volcanic reefs where turtles are seen regularly and seasonal angel sharks may appear.

Open Water
Angel shark

Reef

down to 14 m

Alcalá

Shore dive in Alcalá over two reefs to about 14 m, with nudibranchs, octopus, caverns and overhangs and a car wreck on the long route.

Open Water
Nudibranchs

Reef

down to 16 m

Las Vistas

Simple shore dive along rock formations to 16 m, used for training and known for night dives with rays and octopus.

Open Water
Rays

down to 15 m

El Puertito (Armeñime)

Shallow sheltered sandy bay long popular for a family of resident turtles, and still a good spot for training dives.

Open Water
Turtles

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m6 sites

Wreck

down to 30 m

El Condesito wreck

Cement freighter that ran aground near Las Galletas on Tenerife's south coast, now lying at around 18-21 m with visibility that can exceed 35 m.

Advanced
Barracuda

Rock formations

down to 30 m

Montaña Amarilla

Rocky site known for its yellow sponges, with a giant rock formation hiding a statue and the 'Eye of the Needle' swim-through.

Advanced
Rays

Reef

down to 40 m

Bahía de Radazul

Bay easily reached from Radazul beach, with frogfish and groupers and occasional sightings of manta rays and ocean sunfish.

Advanced
Manta rays

Jetty / pier

down to 22 m

El Porís

Quay-steps shore dive at Porís de Abona with seahorses in the seagrass and a small stone Virgin Mary carving on the wall.

Advanced
Seahorses

Cavern

down to 45 m

La Catedral (Puerto de la Cruz)

North-coast cavern five minutes from Puerto de la Cruz, 20 m high inside, with light beams from holes above and moray eels.

Advanced
Moray eels

down to 26 m

Palm Mar Wall

Wall off Palm-Mar where turtles are common all year, angel sharks lie in the sand in winter and bull rays are inquisitive.

Advanced
Angel shark

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m1 site

Rock formations

down to 45 m

Hidden gem

La Rapadura

Deep north-coast dive where the sea has split the rock into huge prismatic basalt blocks, with sponges and sea fans.

Experienced

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: manawa.com
TurtlesSource: manawa.com

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Stingrays
Barracuda
Cuttlefish
Nudibranchs
Octopus
Garden eels
Groupers
Moray eels
Manta rays
Dolphins
Mola mola (sunfish)
Sardine
Frogfish
Seahorses
Corals

Where is Tenerife?

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

Nearest airport: TFS

Tenerife: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Tenerife?: Tenerife can be dived all year round. Dived all year; water ranges from about 20 °C in winter to 24 °C in summer.
Is Tenerife good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 4 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Abades, Alcalá and Las Vistas. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Tenerife?: The water is usually between 20 °C and 24 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Tenerife?: Divers regularly see angel shark (Dec–Feb), turtles (all year), stingrays, barracuda, cuttlefish and nudibranchs.
How do you dive Tenerife?: The nearest airport is TFS.

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.

All destinations

Your next dive is somewhere out there.

Find my next dive trip

Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

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