Where are the best dive sites?
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The southern tip of the island is fascinating and an absolute must-see. Malpique is particularly well-known here for its much-photographed 39 crosses, an underwater monument – but our “home reef” has so much more to offer. A few kilometres further on are Las Cabras and the small beach at Los Molinos, and then there are also shallow dives with an easy entry point at Faro.
On the west side of La Palma, we dive around the marine reserve and have two varied spots in particular: La Bombilla and Puerto Naos. As a special experience, we can also take a boat out to the cool lava of Tajogaite or the arches of Charco Verde. The east coast of the island offers several spots, including La Salemera, La Bajita and Los Cancajos, which provide even more variety. We decide which spots to visit relatively spontaneously, depending on the weather and the divers’ preferences – this allows us to be completely flexible and always show you whatever is best at the time. |
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Malpique: The Tower, the arch and the crosses
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A popular spot for both photography and diving is the famous Malpique underwater monument: 39 concrete crosses commemorating the crusaders slaughtered by pirates in turbulent times.
Legend has it that a ship carrying Jesuit monks, heavily laden with booty, was sailing along. The pirates intercepted them, seized the booty and sank the vessel with all the monks on board. Except for one: the cook. He was allowed to cook for them from then on. Far more spectacular than the Malpique crosses, however, is what else the dive site has to offer. Here on the inner reef, we can admire a wide variety of moray eel species, head for a tower overgrown with black coral, or plunge into the depths through the archway on the outer reef. In the other direction, the landscape slopes down more gently, leading to a swim-through at around 35 metres and into an interesting landscape at varying depths. Further out lie the stone crosses and a beautiful canyon, and perhaps the most beautiful part is the very shallow area with plenty of fish and interesting rock formations, where introductory dives or decompression stops are highly entertaining. |
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Las Cabras - young lava under water
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The small bay of Las Cabras offers a change of scenery. The journey there is an experience in itself: nowhere else on the island will you find such a vast volcanic landscape, where you almost feel as though you’re on the moon. This little patch of land and this dive site were formed during the last volcanic eruption in 1971.
At high tide, the bay offers a sheltered entry point, and as soon as you leave it, the scenery becomes spectacular. Several lava tongues stretch down into the deep blue; visibility is usually excellent, so we can watch rays glide past us and enjoy the view into the depths. One of the lava tongues is densely covered with black coral from 35 metres down. The ascent to a platform at a depth of around 10 metres is made very entertaining by an archway and several small caves in the bay. |
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Los Molinos
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Just before Las Cabras, you reach Los Molinos, a tiny cove in the shadow of the wind turbines. From this hidden beach, you can enter a diving area that showcases the island’s full diversity. After just a few metres, a panoramic view opens up into the depths, and you can simply decide which part you’d like to explore today. There’s almost always a surprise to be found. The lava formations appear even more spectacular here than at other spots; in particular, the distinctive pillow lava with its whimsical shapes invites you to imagine figures in them.
Unfortunately, the entry point is often very rough and choppy, meaning the spot is rarely suitable for diving. But when it is, we’re all the more delighted. |
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El Faro
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Playa del Faro is situated right next to the Fuencaliente salt flats and the ‘Faro’, Fuencaliente’s lighthouse.
The beach provides easy access to a rocky, lively bay. Here, beginners can see plenty even in the shallows, whilst more experienced divers can head further out to a cave and descend deeper. As this is the southernmost point of the island, it can sometimes be subject to strong currents, so we always take care here. |
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La Bombilla - feels like the Latin Quarter of La Palma
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In the small fishing village of La Bombilla, we find the entrance to the most bizarre lava labyrinth on La Palma. We can start our dive at a wall, crossing several lava tubes, and then "get lost" in the shallow part - until we are all of a sudden back to the entrance. From time to time a turtle is cossing our way, there are rays out in the blue, and seahorses can be hidden in the anchor lines.
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Puerto Naos
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The reef of Puerto Naos offers us a wall starting at 10m and dropping down to 40m. We can go deep and enjoy the black corals, or stay shallower and search for moray eels whilst waiting for rays to come along and feel the blue water around us. No matter if we follow the lava flows down or cruise around the rocks, we will encounter a variety of species and enjoy an incredible dive.
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Boat trip to the new volcano
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Although the Tajogaite volcano caused terrible damage to the island in 2021, it also created a new dive site. Where the lava flowed into the sea, we can now observe how this brand-new stretch of underwater landscape is developing, and how a little more and different marine life can be found there each time.
The dive site can only be reached by boat, so we only head there when we have enough interested divers to offer this special day trip. |
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Charco Verde - Arches next to the Marine reserve
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Located right next to the nature reserve on the west side, Charco Verde and its archways are best reached by boat – a perfect second dive before or after the new Fajana.
Several impressive archways lie at a moderate depth of 14–18 metres; here alone, you can spend the entire dive searching for spiny lobsters and prawns and playing with the thousands of sea peacocks at the top. As is the case everywhere on the island, the drop-off continues steeply beyond this point, of course.... |
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Los Cancajos
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From the various entry points here, we can easily carry out several different dives without ever repeating ourselves.
The area around the ‘Claw’ – a particularly striking lava rock at around 20 metres – is always a delight, teeming with fish. A little deeper, but still easily accessible at just under 30 metres, is the “Mini-Riff” by the aeroplane wing, a spot that almost always holds a surprise. And in the shallows, a tour through the beautiful canyon and to the colourfully overgrown fairy-tale forest is a must. On the right-hand side we find the Chapel Cave, a shallow, wide lava tunnel where you can even surface. The cave is full of small shrimp, and crabs scuttle across the ceiling, which we can observe in the glow of our torches. A little further on, lava flows criss-crossed by canyons stretch down into the depths. The fields of red gorgonians and the forest of black corals are spectacular sights for experienced divers. Inside the bay, protected by the breakwaters, we can observe fish and conduct courses in the shallows in complete tranquillity. |
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La Bajita: Rochen und mehr
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At the east side we find aswell a pittoresque place called La Bahita, just behind the airport. This place offers us a nice entry via a boat ramp or a ladder, and a landscape of several rock formations spread in between sandy areas. It is a perfect habitat for all kind of rays: Stingrays, Eagle rays, electric rays, butterfly rays... And if they are not around, we can still look out for octopusses and moray eels.
Close to La Bahita, there is another entry: Maretas with its white sand and impression depth, plus arches in the shallow part. But as it is quite dificult to get into the water here, we just do it when the ocean is really calm. |
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La Salemera: Fish to observe and fish to eat
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La Salamera is a very popular place on la Palma for its fantastic Kiosko, a nice little restaurant at the side of the beach which offers fish, fish and more fish. For those who prefer to see it rather than (or before) eating it, we have a very colourful divesite here. Characteristic is the amount of yellow sponges and the white sand, and some arches in the very shallow part.
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Dive Guide La Palma - FREE download
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Start dreaming... This Dive Guide invites you to be part of the adventures of an expedition exploring the beauty of La Palma under water. Perfect to prepare your holidays, with some information about diving, the marine environment - all you need.
With fantastic maps and fotos, written by Oceanografica. |
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Maps
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