Playa Chica

Playa Chica is Lanzarote's premier shore dive, located directly off the beach at Puerto del Carmen and accessible by finning from the shore. A shallow volcanic reef at 5 to 8 m gives way to a sandy rubble slope dropping to a 20 m plateau and then to a 28 m drop-off. Angel sharks (Squatina squatina) rest motionless on the sand during daylight hours and are almost guaranteed on winter and spring dives when Atlantic upwelling cools the water. Stingrays, guitarfish, and common octopus are equally reliable. In the shallows, posidonia seagrass patches host pipefish and juvenile wrasse. Night dives reveal active hunting by moray eels, cuttlefish, and mantis shrimp. This site is good for all levels and is one of the most consistently species-rich dives in the Canary Islands.