The principal diving zones are off the east coast of the island and partly in the north. View in Google Maps

If we take the north first off the town of Corralejo, the main sites are in the Bocaina (to 30mts) and off the island of Lobos – Bajon del Rio (14mts) a well known and sought after site.

Coming southwards there is El Jablito near Parque Holandes a relatively protected site for beginners as well as experienced divers (to 14mts) where generally good biodiversity is found along the rugged rock seawall of the little open harbour entrance.

The next major dive zone is off the Caleta Fustes coast with El Barranco & Amphitheater (12-24mts) and the spectacular Las Salinas wall, probably the most impressive site off the east coast with several dive sites direct from shore and by boat (6-40mts) There is also the deep wall off Nuevo Horizonte (40mts+).

A short distance on, one finds Barranco de la Torre a very rocky site with often large shoals of Grunt (to 14mts) – both left and right sites bring some interesting surprises.

The next (boat access only) site would be that of Jacomar with the ancient lava flow long into some 20mts of depth offering small caves and arches. Plenty of giant anemones sponge colonies and nudibranchs.

Next realistic dive zone is off the south eastern end of the harbour wall of Gran Tarajal (to 14mts). Basically two sites with large colonies of aerophoba sponges as well as great shoals of various species off the back of the harbour rock wall. The second site is a garden site with octopus and a grouper colony plus lots of scorpion fish.

Dive sites further down are to a general depth of 8-14mts with off-land lava rock going into great areas of sand – from Gr.Tarajal to Jandia. It is not until one closes on the southernmost tourist venue of Morro Jable that one finds the rather awe inspiring ancient sandstone wall of El Veril (to 40mts) & El Veril Chico (to 35mts), directly off the main tourist beach.

The extensive harbour wall of Morro Jable is also a good site for beginners and experienced divers (to 14mts) for large shoals, large rays, angel shark & the occasional turtle.

There are three other sites nearby, Anemone Reef-Mussel Bank-El Cabezon (from 13-20mts) which are accessed only by boat. Whilst the Punto de Jandia has some excellent sites it is a long way off and needs boat access…sometimes a safari dive day of 2-3 tank dives is organised for groups of 6 divers.

Off all the sites from north to south, one can experience a fairly wide range of biodiversity in flora & fauna, from anemones, gastropods, sponges to impressive bands of barracuda. One will see angel sharks (more often through the winter months) along with large common rays, eagle ray, butterfly ray and substantial numbers of common black eels and tiger eels (known locally as Morenas). The principal turtle is the Loggerhead and can be seen in shallow waters and just sometimes the largest Laud Turtle along with sightings of sunfish and small hammerhead sharks.

Cost for a single dive with full equipment is between €uro35-50 and with own equipment €uro25-35 per diver.

The opportunity for marine photography is very good. Most dives are carried out as one in the morning and one in the afternoon though some double dives are made at some locations.

Courses are provided under Naui-SSI-Padi-Cmas-Acuc-Fedas-and others. There is no best dive centre on the island as you get what’s on offer, but some are notably friendlier than others. German dive operators should not be un-preferred as they speak good English and are well equipped with an honestly friendly manner.

The dive centre in Caleta Fustes (closest to airport) is a favourite with the Brits and being the only one there! Those staying in the north have 2 centres in the same street where your choice can be made.

Those staying in Costa Calma will have several friendly centres most of which are German basically but receive a lot of Brit customers.

The dive centre at the isolated Los Gorriones hotel on the massive windsurf/kite beach is German-English-Spanish and those staying in Jandia have a choice of 4 centres one being the most well known of the island on the main drag of Jandia opposite the lighthouse.

There are to date and to my knowledge only 5 “legal” dive centres that are local government approved with all the paperwork and ballyhoo that is required. This legality was promoted by TUI the German travel company which offers German divers package holidays only to registered & “legal” dive centres.

To summarize the diving is to say that Fuerteventura has to be understood for its ecological make-up that is, its biotic and abiotic ecology. It is a very long island sitting north to south like a leg with a foot. It has many areas that are apt for diving but access is often the problem. It is none-the-less very good for diving and rich in marine life.

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Diving in Fuerteventura - Photo Gallery by Nigel Collingwood, Project Macaronesia

• El Corralejo - situated between the village of Corralejo and the island of Los Lobos is the marine reserve of Corralejo.  This area is exceptionally good for diving with table like formations that make up the reef, which are home to groupers, rays and shoals of bream.
• The main diving is situated in 3 zones...the north (Corralejo) the NNE (Caleta) and the south (Jandia) and mostly east coast. The west coast has some exceptional diving which is weather controlled and mostly by boat though Ajuy has a special dive called the Cathedral straight off the shore when the atlantic rollers are calm. All these zones have a mixture of volcanic lava base with sands. The predominant sandy area is the south covering the isthmus of Jandia and the Massif of Jandia.
• The NNE & North have a lot of rock and wall formation but also sand areas often in deep water (30mts+). Where divers go depends entirely on what the dive centres are offering and of course the weather...both shore dives & boat dives. If one is asked the best site, then it would in my view be Las Salinas near Caleta which many of the other centres visit at least once a week to make exceptionally good double shore dives. But overall the sites are good for the depths, marine life and abilities of divers.

• The diving is very controlled by government interference where visitors are obliged to dive with a legal dive centre (registered with the local govt office). C-Card, logbook, diver insurance and current medical are all required by law.
• Diving is all year round with occasional opportunities to visit the renowned site off Ajuy, the Cathedral (6-24mts)on the west coast when the weather is favourable.
• Visibility is between 20 & 30mts generally.

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© Nigel Collingwood is a 40yr diver/expert on Fuerteventura diving and works as a freelance instructor at the Los Gorriones dive centre. His specialities are in marine ecology, photography and private group dive programmes. He is a NAUI/SAA/GENCAT Instructor and speaks English-Spanish-German and resident of the island. nigel.ecovive@gmail.com