Eagle ray at Los Gigantes
Tenerife
Value and variety
The largest of the Canary Islands , Tenerife is served by two airports welcoming an estimated five million tourist visits each year . As a result of its popularity and established infrastructure , you can find some great holiday bargains . Underwater , it is noted for stingray encounters , but also offers wreck dives for all levels , volcanic arch swim-throughs , caverns and an impressive variety of Atlantic and Mediterranean marine species .
Dubbed Europe ’ s answer to Stingray City in the Cayman Islands , the dive site Los Churchos attracts up to six different species of ray , including the occasional bull ray . Submersible tours once fed rays here to entertain the tourists , but now it ’ s almost exclusively divers who encounter the large friendly species at depths of 18-20m .
Atlantis is another unique Tenerife dive , where molten lava has cooled to form multiside columns in a triangular Giant ’ s-Causewaylike pattern . The dive starts at 15m from the top of the natural rock amphitheatre and descends as deep as 32m , where rare black coral can also be found . The Los Gigantes ‘ small caves ’ dive site is also a highlight .
The Condesita shipwreck , near Los Cristianos , Tenerife
Exploring the Condesita ’ s holds
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