sandboader73
Guest
can anyone tell me about canary islands. I believe they are in spain. We ar thinking of belize, puerto rico, or these island for our next trip. We have been to belize but only dive twice since we were on a cruise.
Canary Islands
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Actually they are off the northwest coast of Africa but are politically aligned with Spain.
I recently received an invitation to travel there and dive. However, the flight out was day after tomorrow and there was no way I could be ready in time given the other items on my plate.
Recently an old friend with decades of international diving experience (he was V.P. of The Cousteau Society) e-mailed me on his return from the Canary Islands. He said the affinity of the marine life is largely with the western Mediterranean.
I recently received an invitation to travel there and dive. However, the flight out was day after tomorrow and there was no way I could be ready in time given the other items on my plate.
Recently an old friend with decades of international diving experience (he was V.P. of The Cousteau Society) e-mailed me on his return from the Canary Islands. He said the affinity of the marine life is largely with the western Mediterranean.
OP
sandboader73
Guest
Thank you for the info-did not know they were that close to africa
Hi ,
The best place to dive in Canary Islands is perhaps El Hierro island . Lanzarote has some good dives too . They are volcanic islands .
They belongs to Spain .
here you are some dive centre :
Centros y clubs de buceo de El Hierro en bajoelagua.com
But is far for you home i think .
Near you is Baja California or Playa del Carmen ( Mexico ) .
In Cuba the best is Jardines de la Reina , but i´m not sure if you can travel
there ( usa citizen ) .
Jardines de la Reina -Dive Cuba-Avalon Diving Center-Sharks Paradise-Divesafari in the Caribbean with worldclass Diving-liverboard caribic
In Honduras they are two fantastic places to dive : Roatan and Utila .
Utila Dive Centre | Utila, Bay Island, Honduras - Central America
The best place to dive in Canary Islands is perhaps El Hierro island . Lanzarote has some good dives too . They are volcanic islands .
They belongs to Spain .
here you are some dive centre :
Centros y clubs de buceo de El Hierro en bajoelagua.com
But is far for you home i think .
Near you is Baja California or Playa del Carmen ( Mexico ) .
In Cuba the best is Jardines de la Reina , but i´m not sure if you can travel
there ( usa citizen ) .
Jardines de la Reina -Dive Cuba-Avalon Diving Center-Sharks Paradise-Divesafari in the Caribbean with worldclass Diving-liverboard caribic
In Honduras they are two fantastic places to dive : Roatan and Utila .
Utila Dive Centre | Utila, Bay Island, Honduras - Central America
Hi. The Canary Islands are indeed off the west coast of Africa but are just as much part of Spain as Madrid or Barcelona are.
You wouls fly to Madrid and catch a connecting flight.
There are many places to dive around the Canary Islands and the recommendation of El Hierro is quite good.
My personal recommendation is Lanzarote and that you dive from Marina Rubicon Dive Center.
Extremely professional, speak many languages including English and they really take care of you.
Very well organized.
Diving Lanzarote - Bucear en Lanzarote - Tauchen Lanzarote - Dive Center Marina Rubicon Playa Blanca.
Ask for Chris (the owner). You can say I sent you.
Enjoy!
I dove Tenerife in June 2004 not long after I did my OW course. It's an easy trip from the UK. I had lots of fun, but not sure that I would make the trip all the way from Oregon. The Canary Islands are big holiday spots for Europeans. Whilst there are some very nice areas, there are the big, horrible tacky beach resorts as well. You'd have to make your way to a major European city. Most flights from the UK are charters.
There aren't corals but there were some great underwater rock structures (as it is a volcanic island). The fish life was pretty good. There is a sting ray site where you go to feed them. The diving is typcially done from RIBs/zodiacs. The surface interval was back on shore at a local cafe. All of the operators did the same routine. Many are Brits that have moved there. I dove with Tenerife Scuba (Chris, Sarah & Mark are the Brits who own it). They were great and arranged the trip as a whole package. They pick up divers from the airport and recommend a nice family run condo hotel in a fishing village away from Los Cristianos or Playa de Las Americas (the overly touristy towns). El Hierro is supposed to be great as well. You have to take a ferry from Tenerife and there isn't much to do on the island. The guys at Tenerife Scuba did recommend it though.
The Canary's do not have natural white sand beaches. The natural sand is black. However, for the tourists they bring in white/yellow sand from western Africa for the beaches.
One of your other options is Belize. I spent a week at Turneffe Island Lodge in April 05. That was fantastic. The diving was great. Beautiful reefs -- mainly drift diving. Each morning we started with a dive at the Elbow -- one of the famous site there -- and it's where I saw my first hammerhead. From the US Belize is probably cheaper for flights. IMHO the diving in Belize was better. PM me if you have any more questions.
There aren't corals but there were some great underwater rock structures (as it is a volcanic island). The fish life was pretty good. There is a sting ray site where you go to feed them. The diving is typcially done from RIBs/zodiacs. The surface interval was back on shore at a local cafe. All of the operators did the same routine. Many are Brits that have moved there. I dove with Tenerife Scuba (Chris, Sarah & Mark are the Brits who own it). They were great and arranged the trip as a whole package. They pick up divers from the airport and recommend a nice family run condo hotel in a fishing village away from Los Cristianos or Playa de Las Americas (the overly touristy towns). El Hierro is supposed to be great as well. You have to take a ferry from Tenerife and there isn't much to do on the island. The guys at Tenerife Scuba did recommend it though.
The Canary's do not have natural white sand beaches. The natural sand is black. However, for the tourists they bring in white/yellow sand from western Africa for the beaches.
One of your other options is Belize. I spent a week at Turneffe Island Lodge in April 05. That was fantastic. The diving was great. Beautiful reefs -- mainly drift diving. Each morning we started with a dive at the Elbow -- one of the famous site there -- and it's where I saw my first hammerhead. From the US Belize is probably cheaper for flights. IMHO the diving in Belize was better. PM me if you have any more questions.
I was there, Grand Canaria, back in the late 80's. Having done all my diving prior in Germany and Holland, this was my first real clear water diving. We did both boat and shore dives. On one dive we were at approx 80' assembling at the bottom of the anchor line. We looked up and about 50' above us was a school of barracuda, hundreds of them. Off to the side of the main school were rogue barracuda, 4' to 5' in length. Absolutely awsome!! Since then, I've dived in Hawaii and the Carribean. Hawaii is similar as it is also volcanic. I think both are certainly better dives than Grand Canaria, but those barracuda.....
Well guys, what do you know? I landed the job of Marketing Manager at the Marina Rubicon Dive Center in Lanzarote.So I hope to be seeing you all soon (do you think it was my previous post on this thread?)
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