We are not surprised that the southern tip of La Palma is a star dive site in the Canary Islands. This area is somewhat wild, with its black lava, its winds, the waves that almost always break on the Faro beach – but it is also sweet, soft, beautiful. Under water, the Atlantic awaits you with endless colors and shapes, the water embraces you with its temperatures up to 24 degrees in summer and a minimum of 19 in winter.

It is an extremely attractive area for various water activities: The diving centers in the area offer introductory courses and guided snorkeling trips to start discovering. You don’t have to be an expert to dive into the sea. You can still be a beginner or a very expert – the dives here are unforgettable.

Las Cabras

«The desert landscape, the strong wind and the incessant movement of the waves are the counterpoint to the tranquility that usually reigns under water most of the year. This is an area where you can enjoy great visibility, thanks to this it has been possible to see from large banks of devil rays to the majestic whale shark. We have come down dreaming of such an encounter. The steep walls of submerged rock allowed us to look down to see if we were lucky. Captivated by the spectacular scenery we have descended at the foot of the cliffs to explore the hiding places of blowfishes, large meres and abade (Mycteroperca fusca). On the way back, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing.
The dive starts from the beach. We go intro the sea, until we reach the underwater cliff that can be skirted or surpassed to dive deep. On the way back, it is forced to cross the arch that forms a large rock in the middle of the immersion zone, to return little by little looking for the life that hides under the hollows of the rocks. “

Text: Diving guide – La Palma

Malpique – Las Cruces

“If we had to choose a place on La Palma to start looking for a treasure hidden by pirates, it would be this without a doubt. Local divers had told us about its forty submerged crosses in honor of the religious who fell into the hands of pirates or the impressive underwater tower only accessible to experienced divers.
It’s hard to explain what it feels like to be here. When we went diving through it and we began to see the crosses, we felt a lump in our throats when we saw such a gloomy and at the same time impressive landscape. Following the local guide, we look out onto a “balcony” with a spectacular slope and we begin to swim out to sea. Little by little we made out “the tower”, a huge rock monolith that rises from 50 to 30 meters covered with black coral. »

Text: Diving guide – La Palma

Punta de Los Molinos

«We have arrived at this lost place by a dirt track that runs between the sharp badlands, a cooling of the lava that molds sharp shapes through which it is very difficult to enter, hence its name. The landscape outside the water is windy, desert, a complete contrast to what we have found underwater, full of life and decorated with a thousand shades of green and blue. As soon as we entered the beach, we were struck by the fact that, on each side of the small bay, a tunnel began that crossed the solid rock. If there is something that has surprised and amazed us about this place, it is the capricious forms of solidified lava in contact with water. Seeing them it is not difficult to imagine them red-hot flowing slowly and dripping until they enter the sea, making the water boil and petrifying the rock. “

Text: Diving guide – La Palma

Fuencaliente lighthouse

«Today we started the day by visiting the interpretation center of the Marine Reserve and we have continued to submerge, mainly motivated by the naturalists of the team, in search of the rock breakwater with hexagonal shapes. Along the way, we were able to watch trumpet fish hunt and a spiny blowfish attack a sea urchin. In a small cave, a colorful “pejeperro” kept our distance while awakening his curiosity. Upon leaving, a small group of amberjacks delighted us with an incredible spectacle chasing the bank of bogas that had gathered in front of the majestic rocks that caress the surface.
Thanks to the guides, who oriented themselves with the help of the compass, we managed to make a fantastic tour. The place proposes the challenge of orientation since the homogeneity of the seabed, the shapes of the rocks and the marine currents, frequent in the area, make it difficult to follow the desired course. »

Text: Diving guide – La Palma

Snorkeling

Activities at sea: A great day for everyone.
If the sea catches your attention, and you want to know what it looks like underwater, you can see a lot from the surface. Those who swim safely and usually practice this sport, usually go alone. But of course, a guide who knows the area well and can explain what you see makes it much safer and more interesting.
In the diving center you will find who can take you on this adventure.

Baptism and diving courses

If you are interested in learning to move underwater with an autonomous diving equipment, breathe, stay down with the fish, Fuencaliente is the ideal place to learn to dive. As the La Palma wind almost always blows from the north, in the south there is always some sheltered corner where you can learn in good conditions. You don’t have to go deep, you start to discover a few meters away – and only when you advance, the professionals responsible for the area will accompany you to develop as a diver step by step. Or little by little, as they say here. Learn in the sun and in the Atlantic full of life and secrets – you will see that once you try it, you will repeat.

Diving day and night: Diving excursions

Those who already know how to dive will have already understood what treasure awaits them in Fuencaliente. With the local centers, which know a lot of hidden places, you can explore the underwater world of the south of La Palma with excellence. The marine diversity, due to the proximity of the marine reserve and the currents of the southern peak, is impressive. And the lava, these newborn formations…. You have to see it, in a day or a week of dives, day or night – you are going to love it.