Diving Places: Messages

El Calamareo lies northeast of Corralejo approximately 1 kilometer from the coast in the Lanzarote direction.
Type of seabed: There is barrier running from east to west with an upper part of volcanic rock at about 15m depth and a base of white sand at 25 meters maximum, forming vaults, wide, shallow caves and rock corridors.
Life forms: A great variety of animals inhabit this zone; inside of the caves are glass eyes, larger fork beards, greater locust lobsters etc. In open water, striped barracudas, dusky and comb groupers, parrotfish, white bream etc.
Dive: Area frequently passed by the Ferry boat, we will follow the barrier along at its upper surface about 10m eastwards or westward and the back along the same route.

About 25 years ago, a merchant ship named Condesito, carrying cement sank 50 meters off the lighthouse at Punta Rasca. The prow was all but destroyed on hitting the rocky ocean floor, but the stern has kept its shape, and in its hold we can see the solidified sacks of cement.

This dive site is protected to a degree by its proximity to the coast, but its position at Punta Rasca can produce currents, especially when the diving route takes us away from the coast. There are two possible routes. Beginners start this dive at the stern of the boat at 18 meters depth, and continue to explore it as far as the prow 7 meters away, returning along the deck to the starting point. Experts can begin at the stern of the Condesito, we take off towards the south at 60 degrees, passing over the remains of the funnel to 30 meters depth, where a ridge drops to 40 meters and we can find black coral in the small caves.

The seabed here is covered with spectacular, basaltic rock formations, the Condesito lying in a channel within walls of basalt on a bed of sand. We may, if we are observant, enjoy the sight of a multitude of different species at this site; the boat provides a habitat for many animals, inside the iron frame of its hull we find brown scorpion fish, brown lizard fish, trumpet fish, glasseyes, white bream, fire worms, etc.

Diving la Carrera, at the southeast coast of Lobos island, there is a dive point called La Carrera. In the past, its coasts were the habitat of monk seals, now extinct, and threatened species elsewhere. Here the sea bed is flatter. We can distinguish a horseshoe formation, similar to a sunken crater with white sand in the centre, and volcanic rocks forming crevices and caves at about 15m depth.
Life forms: Monkfish can be seem at the sand and in the caves, glass eyes, greater locust lobsters, dusky groupers etc…
Dive: Valid for all levels of divers, it’s protected by the local winds from Lobos island. The route is following the contour of the crater and return to the starting point.

The dive site Cueva del Palm-Mar is found about 200 meters off the beach of Palm-Mar, situated to the south of Los Cristianos. We can reach it by boat from either port of Las Galletas or Los Cristianos. Two routes are recommended; one goes down to the entrance to the cave, where a cross stands to the memory of some divers who died exploring it, then moves up the ridge to observe its crevices. The second route follows the ridge where the cave is housed, south until we meet a large rock. Passing this, and another, we reach a third, strangely shaped rock, being narrower at its base than above, on top of which is a statue of a dolphin in memory of Cousteau.

12 meters down there is a rock platform which drops on one side to 25 meters, where we can see caves and crevices. Large rocks rise out of the bed of light sand that slopes gently away from the coast. Seeking shelter in the crevices in the ridge we find morays, and also large brown morays being groomed by small shrimps with long, white antennae.