The Canary Islands are a true jewel of a destination, especially for scuba diving! The archipelago lies west of the North-African shores and consists of 7 main volcanic islands, and believe me when I say that the sights are just as breathtaking on land, as they are underwater! My top 5 spots for scuba diving in the Canary Islands are: Playa Blanca, Playa de las Américas, Costa Calma, Costa Teguise and Maspalomas. Let’s find out where exactly they are and what makes them so special, shall we?
1. Scuba Diving at Playa Blanca (Lanzarote)
© Non Stop Divers Lanzarote 
© Pura Vida Diving Lanzarote
This spot simply had to be on the very top of my list. While Playa Blanca was once a small fishing village, it has turned into a very lively and popular holiday destination. It is located in the south of Lanzarote, the easternmost island of the archipelago, and is characterized by its long seaside promenade from which you can see parts of the islands and even the neighbouring island Fuerteventura.
Explore the aquatic world of Playa Blanca with our local providers and choose between a wide range of offers: trial dives, diving courses for all levels of experience or even guided dives. As to the question of where the diving will take place, it would be more simple to tell you where it doesn’t! There are over 30 diving spots around Playa Blanca, amongst which the two most popular ones: the Flamingo Wall and the famous Museo Atlántico.
The so-called Flamingo Wall is sometimes described as an “underwater aquarium” due to its diversity in fauna and flora. It starts right after the two breakwaters of the Flamingo Beach and goes as deep as 20 metres. The area is home to a variety of fish species. You’ll be able to see barracuda and breams, watch tunas and mackerels hunting, and even observe the endangered angel shark. When taking a closer look, you’ll also be able to see how the Flamingo Wall was shaped by lava.
Words simply do not do the world-famous Museo Atlántico justice. It is the only underwater museum in Europe and it depicts over 300 sculptures of humans. If that isn’t impressive enough, then wait to find out why it was built: all sculptures are part of a project aiming to bring back marine biodiversity and to create a vast artificial reef. In fact, the human statues are all made out of concrete that has a neutral pH value, allowing marine life to flourish effortlessly. Now how cool is that?!
| School | Meeting point | Highlights |
| Non Stop Divers Lanzarote | In their base in Playa Blanca. They also offer a pick-up service from any hotel in Playa Blanca. | Museo Atlántico, Flamingo Wall |
| Pura Vida Diving Lanzarote | In their base in Playa Blanca. They also offer a pick-up service from your accommodation in Playa Blanca. | Museo Atlántico, Puerto del Carmen |
2. Scuba Diving at Playa de las Américas (Tenerife)
© Excel Scuba Tenerife 
© Big Fish Tenerife 
© Dive Club Ocean Trek 
© Aqua-Marina Diving Tenerife 
© Ten Dive Diving Center
The second place on this list goes to Playa de las Américas on Tenerife, the biggest island of the Canaries. Playa de las Américas is a beach and holiday resort located on the southwest coast of Tenerife. It’s a true party hotspot as the nightlife has a lot to offer: great clubs, bars and live music venues. However, once the parties are over, schools are waiting for you in the morning… I’m talking about schools of fish of course!
Playa de las Américas is not only a hotspot for tourism, but also for scuba diving in the Canary Islands. You’ll find all offers you can possibly imagine, from trial dives to advanced PADI diving courses such as wreck or deep diving. Among the highlights of things you’ll see when diving in Playa de las Américas, there is the Palm Mar Wall, several shipwrecks, and beautiful beaches such as Playa Los Cristianos. Naming all of them would maybe be a bit overwhelming as there are over 40 diving spots around the Playa de las Américas area!
| School | Meeting point | Highlights |
| Aqua-Marina Diving Tenerife | At their base in Playa de Las Américas. They also offer a hotel pick-up service if you’re staying between Playa Paraiso and El Médano. | Palm Mar Wall, Playa las Vistas, Reef of La Caleta, Neptune Cave, El Condesito, El Meridian, El Penon |
| Ten Dive Diving Center | At their base in Playa Las Américas. | over 40 diving spots |
| Excel Scuba Tenerife | At their base in Playa Las Américas. They also offer a pick-up service. | The Moon Pool, The Yellow Mountain, The Tabaiba Wreck, El Puertito, Abades Beach, The Black Cove, Palm Marr Wall, Moray Cove |
| Big Fish Tenerife | At their base in Playa Las Vistas. They also offer a pick-up service. | Los Cristianos, El Bufadero, El Condesito, Playa Las Vistas |
| Dive Club Ocean Trek | At their base in Costa Adeje. They also offer a pick-up service. | Playa Las Vistas, Playa de Abades, Alcalá |
3. Scuba Diving on Costa Calma (Fuerteventura)
© Dive Pro Fuerte 
© Dive Pro Fuerte
Costa Calma, “calm coast” in English, is a city in the south of the island Fuerteventura. Its name is quite fitting as the island’s offshore winds result in pretty low waves which makes the coast calmer than others. The main attraction here definitely is the bay of Costa Calma itself. It is 1.5km long and has a clean and dreamy sandy beach.
The reefs of Fuerteventura are populated by countless moray eels, groupers, angel sharks and even stingrays. Rainbow wrasses, Canary damsels and parrotfish make the fascinating underwater world even more colourful. You’ll see all that for yourself at one of the many dive spots around Costa Calma, such as La Lajita beach or right next to the Morro Jable lighthouse.
| School | Meeting point | Highlights |
| Dive Pro Fuerte | At their base in Costa Calma. They also offer a pick-up service. | La Lajita beach, Morro Jable Lighthouse |
4. Scuba Diving on Costa Teguise (Lanzarote)
© Native Diving 
© Native Diving
Just like Playa Blanca, this spot is also on Lanzarote, only on the east coast. Costa Teguise has a good mix of windy beaches, which mostly attract windsurfers, and calmer beaches. It is also one of the most popular destinations on Lanzarote, especially with families.
Apart from scuba diving in the Canary Islands, there is one similar activity you can try right here in Costa Teguise: sea trek. For this activity, you’ll be given a big and heavy helmet that will allow you to breathe normally underwater. The great thing about this offer is that it is also available to physically and/or mentally handicapped people.
As Costa Teguise is not too far away from Playa Blanca, you’ll also be able to explore the Museo Atlántico with local providers. Playa de Las Coloradas and Playa Chica however also offer you amazing views and experiences. You’ll most certainly stumble upon smaller creatures like snails, crabs and starfish, and bigger ones such as squids, breams and even tuna. But the animals aren’t the only thing that’ll leave you amazed: old shipwrecks and caves are also waiting to be explored!
| School | Meeting point | Highlights |
| Native Diving | At their base in Costa Teguise. | Playa de Las Coloradas, Museo Atlántico, Playa Chica |
5. Scuba Diving in Maspalomas (Gran Canaria)
© Leagues Ahead Diving 
© Leagues Ahead Diving
Maspalomas lies in the South of Gran Canaria and is a particularly special place as there are 400 hectares of sand dunes right next to its two most important beaches: Playa Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés. The Maspalomas Nature Reserve doesn’t only include sand dunes but also the Charca Lagoon. The mix of both these distinctive landscapes gives Maspalomas the looks of a lovely oasis.
The scuba diving offering in Maspalomas includes guided dives for experienced divers as well as a wide range of diving courses for divers of all levels. Beginners will be able to see angel sharks and other colourful tropical fish at beginner-friendly spots like Amadores Bay.
More experienced divers will get the chance to explore diving spots like La Catedral, an impressive volcanic rock formation situated at a depth of 40 metres. If you have the necessary diving certificate, you just might see the Arona shipwreck, a 97m-long ship that sank north of the island in 1972. El Cabron is also one of the more popular diving spots around here. In fact, it was voted amongst the top 10 dive spots in all of Europe! Here, you’ll get to see massive volcanic rock formations, arches and even caves.
| School | Meeting point | Highlights |
| Leagues Ahead Diving | Can be set individually. | La Catedral, Arona Wreck, Amadores Bay, El Cabron, Tufia |