Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico · Spain · Reef
Coral
Black coral forest and gorgonia between 40 and 85 m
Area photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0
A technical dive outside Playa Blanca where depths run from 40 to 85 metres and the rock carries a forest of black coral and plenty of gorgonia, which on this coast only grow that deep. Angel sharks, stingrays, groupers, barracuda and tuna are recorded here too, but the coral and the gorgonia are the reason the site is dived.
Where it is and how deep
28.8605° N, 13.8830° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
There is no shallow phase. Depths here go from 40 to 85 metres, which puts the whole site outside recreational limits and makes the descent the first working part of the dive. The catalogue entry is blunt about it: only for technical divers. In practice that means a level chosen before anyone leaves the boat, a set bottom time and a staged return.
What the depth buys is the forest of black coral and the gorgonia, hard and soft, that cannot be found shallower on this coast. The fish are the ordinary residents of the island's deeper rock: angel sharks, stingrays, groupers, barracuda and tuna. Colour is long gone at these depths, so the coral only shows properly under a light.
The ascent is the longest part of the dive. With a bottom that starts at 40 metres, decompression is planned rather than incidental, and the shallow stops are made in open water off the rock. Everything about the site therefore runs on a schedule set on the surface, and the coral gets whatever minutes that schedule allows and no more.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Tuna
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico: Divable all year in 18–24°C water; Jun–Oct is warmest and calmest, and angel sharks are most reliably seen Nov–Mar.
Know before you go
- The shallowest point of the site is 40 metres, so every dive here incurs planned decompression; there is no shallower part of the reef to ascend to.
- Depths reach 85 metres, with narcosis and gas density both in play, which is why the site is restricted to technical divers.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Coral dive site in Lanzarote?+
Depths run from 40 to 85 metres. There is no shallower section, which is why the site is listed for technical divers only.
Why is it called Coral?+
For the forest of black coral and the gorgonia growing on the deep rock here, which the catalogue notes can only be found at these depths.
Sources
- Coral dive site — Scubago
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