Diving in Gran Canaria is a mandatory plan for qualified divers and those who are looking for a punctual contact with this sport. This island offers us the best conditions for it with more than 200 kilometers of coastline and ideal weather throughout the year. In the winter months the waters of the Atlantic Ocean do not fall below 18 degrees and in the rest of the seasons they are around 22 degrees.

One of the keys to the natural wealth of Gran Canaria lies in its volcanic origin, an aspect for which it receives the classification of Biosphere Reserve in many points. Thus diving schools will accompany you in this experience from more than a dozen strategic locations for this purpose.

Zones to go scuba diving in Gran Canaria?

The city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the tourist Mas Palomas, Arinaga or Puerto Rico, the coast of Taurito, Playa de Mogán and San Bartolome de Tirajana, Telde, Galdar or Pozo Izquierdo, Aguimes, Arguineguin and Las Puntillas. In its surroundings are wrecks as important as the Arona or Taliarte.

Here you can watch a video so you can take a look to what is waiting for you if you dare to come to dive in Las Palmas:



Any person, adult or child, has the possibility to dive. You just have to choose the right level for it and trust the school that will prepare you with the knowledge you need:

- Scuba diving baptism: it is the activity that is recommended to try this modality. It consists of an initial experience with very basic theory so that you can go directly to put the diving equipment in the sea or in the pool under controlled circumstances to the millimeter.

You have baptisms in Arinaga from the Playa de Risco Verde with 60 minutes diving in a pool to later go to open waters reaching 8 meters deep. If you prefer to skip the step of the pool, opt for a baptism from the beach of Las Palmas with more than half an hour of immersion below 3 meters. In Playa de Mogán, a reef area is used a dozen meters from the diving center to give you maximum comfort during this activity. Here you can see all the diving baptisms.

- PADI Discover Scuba Diving: is considered the previous step to a diving course and it is something more complete than a baptism. You have it in Puerto Rico, inside Mogán, with 3 hours in a marine area of calm waters to submerge up to 6 meters.

You can also follow this program in Taurito with 45 minutes of theoretical lessons, the same time in the pool testing the neoprene suit and the equipment and another 45 minutes of immersion in the sea that take place in the afternoon shift. Here you can see all the diving baptisms.

- PADI Open Water: is the title with which you will already be considered a diver. You can register from 14 years old and will legally accredit you to submerge up to 18 meters anywhere in the world, provided you are accompanied by another diver with more training.

This qualification needs a broader theoretical knowledge that can be prepared previously from home through the internet. The instructor will reinforce them and solve doubts when you are in the diving center. You need a pool practice and an average of 4 dives that will have to be completed in more than one day. That is why in Maspalomas they offer you a 4-day course that includes accommodation in a hotel for 5 nights.

You can also follow this program in Arinaga where they propose 6 dives in the sea or from Puerto Rico to train you in aspects such as the proper way to breathe underwater. In Playa de Mogán they will take you to do one of the mandatory dives from a boat and in Las Palmas they organize the course so that you can finish it in 3 days. Here you can see more about Open Water.

- PADI Advanced Open Water: This is where you start to have specific knowledge about scuba diving. These courses extend your degree by increasing your rating to submerge up to 30 meters. It is especially practical with 5 dives, two compulsory and another 3 in which you decide what type of diving you want to learn. You have it in Mogán, from Puerto Rico, and in Las Palmas where it is possible to do it from the age of 15. Remember that you always have to be in possession of the Open Water to sign up for the Advanced. Here you can see more about Advanced Open Water.

Along with these options that are considered basic diving there are many courses to work in a specific area as a diver. They are also oriented to train you as a professional instructor if you want as in Maspalomas with the PADI Divemaster.

Las Palmas is one of the places where you can follow your PADI Rescue and First Aid program, as long as you have gone through the Advance Open Water. You will learn how to handle emergency material and how to prevent and navigate in dangerous situations.

One of the most demanded specialties is diving with Nitrox that will allow you to spend more time underwater than the usual load of oxygen bottles. You have it in Maspalomas.

In any case, the variety of underwater fauna that you will find with dives in the Atlantic will make your visit to Gran Canaria more than justified. Remember that if you have a degree you can hire diving dives individually, renting the equipment or taking your own. You have dives in the southeastern part of the island or in areas such as the Sardina del Norte. They are guided by an instructor with a degree that will show you the most interesting aspects and will ensure that you are sure and that the right conditions are met.