TRAVEL SUB
PADI 5* IDC DIVE CENTER
Tenerife — a Diver’s Playground
Ever wondered what it feels like to dive into a world shaped by millions of years of volcanic tantrums? Welcome to Tenerife — the island that literally erupted onto the map!
GEOLOGY
The Canary Islands started forming around 20 million years ago, when magma from deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean began to push upward.
Tenerife itself took shape over millions of years, with major eruptions sculpting its rugged mountains, valleys, and cliffs — and while volcanic activity has slowed, Mount Teide still keeps its “boss volcano” title, towering as the third tallest in the Atlantic.
Underwater, the story gets even wilder. Lava flows cooled into caverns, cliffs, and reefs that feel like alien worlds. Just off the coast, the seabed drops dramatically — in some places, the ocean plunges thousands of meters within just a few kilometers from shore.
LIFE
Start with the big players: whales and dolphins. These waters are a hotspot for pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, and even orcas occasionally passing by.
Tenerife waters are a haven for rays of all shapes and sizes: eagle rays, Atlantic big rays, playful bull rays, electric ray.
Tenerife has become a home for Loggerhead turtles, Green turtles, Hawksbill turtles, and other fascinating marine species, thanks to its warm waters, volcanic reefs, and abundant food sources.
And let’s not forget the colorful locals: schools of Atlantic jacks, parrotfish, and damselfish, tunas turn the volcanic reefs into vibrant, moving mosaics.
Endemic and protected species: Canary lobster scuttles through rocky crevices and black corals cling to vertical walls, creating shadowy, otherworldly forests.
ANGEL SHARKS
Among the stars of Tenerife dives is the angel shark, a critically endangered species under protection. These flat, camouflaged predators rest on the sandy bottoms of volcanic slopes, often unnoticed until they glide silently past.
The Angel Shark Protection Project in Tenerife works to safeguard the critically endangered angel shark (Squatina squatina), one of the rarest sharks in the world. These waters are a vital refuge for the species, and the project focuses on studying their populations, mapping nursery areas, and monitoring behavior to ensure their survival. Divers are encouraged to report sightings, helping scientists track these elusive sharks and protect their unique volcanic habitats.
The angler sharks are absolutely not aggressive and normally resting in a sandy bottom camouflage under the sand, and it's critically important not to disturb them. Watch, but do not touch.