Las Galletas - Diving Holiday Destination

Las Galletas (Canary Islands)

The Canary Islands are a group of seven islands in the Atlantic, off the north-west coast of Africa. They enjoy year round sun and holidays are there are inexpensive and easy to arrange

Mt. Teide is Spain's highest peak and the most symbolic of the charms Tenerife has to offer. But there are many more. You can visit craters, lava formations, cliffs, black and white-sand beaches, creeks and natural swimming pools. It is the biggest of the seven isles.

The Tenerife shoreline conserves marine ecosystems with a large number of endemic species. You can find interesting sea turtles, like the loggerhead turtle, and a resident population of pilot whales off the southern coasts of the island. Bottle nosed dolphins are also frequently spotted. Both these species of cetaceans live permanently in the channel between Tenerife and La Gomera.

The island offers unbeatable conditions for diving, like swimming through a dense curtain of brightly coloured fish, or feeding large sting rays. There are some thirty dive sites distributed all along the coastline, where you can discover the fascinating marine life and the remains of ship wrecks. Las Galletas has some of the best dive sites.

Las Galletas, another of the Tenerife South resort choice, situated on the Costa del Silencio coast, is a hotspot area for Tenerife Diving. A number of choice dive sites are in the area on this mix of black sand and rocky coast! It's quieter than the big two Tenerife resorts to the south west, with more of a watersports scene. Check out the Las Galletas Diving weblinks to the right for diving information.

Las Galletas has a pretty volcanic beach, an attractive harbour which serves as the base for the popular Submarine Diving excursion (a family favourite). It's been a centre for fishing for many years, and retains it's fishing village feel, with a large Canarian resident population. If you're looking for a Tenerife small resort base with character, and certainly not a manmade feel then Las Galletas is a good choice.

The beach is not the best on the island, it's a mix of rocks and greyish black sand (plans may be afoot to improve it in the near future). The main attraction here in Las Galletas however is not the beach - it's underwater! Some of the best diving sites in south Tenerife are down here, and numerous diving excursions can be hooked into from Las Galletas harbour.

Climate

The weather varies on all the Canary Islands. For example, the north of Tenerife is not generally as warm or sunny as the south. Fuerteventura is no different, as each part has its own microclimate that depends on its orientation and how the local geographical features are arranged.

The spectacular differences you'll find are due to the climatic extremes between the northern half - lush and humid; and the south - dry and sunny. Tenerife's landscape is sharp and steep; on the same day you could have a swim at the beach then go up Mt. Teide, at 3,718 m., for a snow ball fight... unique, right?

Dive Facts

Between 19 o C and 23 o C water temperature.

Dive Attractions

In the Canary Islands Hammerhead Sharks can be spotted in October/November, and angel sharks November-April.

The most frequently seen fish on rocky bottoms are the dusky grouper, comb grouper, parrot fish, gold lined bream, white bream, conger eels, moray eels, combers, glass eyes, scorpion fish, cardinal fish and wreck fish. On mixed, sand and stone bottoms, you find dentex and, couch´s sea bream, Pandora, red bream, black bream and drum, while on mud and sand bottoms, you will find mullet, sting rays, angel sharks, hound sharks and Canary hake.

Dive sites include:

Dive Site: El Meridian
Description: WWII Minesweeper
Depth: 30 metres

Dive Site: The Stingrays, Los ChuchosDescription: Stingray Dive with Small fishing boat
Depth: 22 metres

Dive Site: El Condesito
Description: Wreck
Depth: 21 metres

Dive Site: The Steps
Description: Volcanic Formation

Dive Site: Ayers Rock
Description: Rock / Sheer Walls
Depth: 24 - 65max