Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico · Spain · Wall · Cave & cavern
Orange Coral
A branch of orange coral inside a cave at the end of the wall
Area photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0
Almost at the end of the Puerto del Carmen reef wall there is a small cave, and inside it the branch of orange coral that gives the site its name. The wall itself starts at 5 metres and can go beyond 40, so one face carries the deep part of the dive and the shallow finish. Groupers, bream and white-eyed fish live around the cave, with sardines and tunids off the rock.
Where it is and how deep
28.9184° N, 13.6693° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wall is what you dive. It starts at 5 metres and can go beyond 40, which is why the catalogue calls this reef ideal for all types of diving: one face carries both the deep leg and the shallow finish, and the depth is chosen rather than dictated by the terrain. Groups descend it, keep the rock on one shoulder and work along towards the far end.
Almost at the end of the wall is a small cave, and inside it the branch of orange coral the site is named for. It is a specific thing to go and look at rather than a landscape. Several groupers live around it, along with bream, white-eyed fish and anemones on the rock, while pelagic life, sardines and tunids, is seen off the face.
The return is the shallow half of the same wall. Coming back over ground already passed at depth makes the off-gassing part of the dive simple, and with the top of the wall at 5 metres there is plenty of reef left to spend the last of the tank on, with the safety stop made against the rock in good light rather than hanging in open water.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Tuna
| 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 wall continues beyond 40 metres, so the deep leg needs a turn depth planned on the surface rather than a decision made once you are on the face.
Questions divers ask
What is the Orange Coral dive site?+
It is a point on the Puerto del Carmen reef wall where a small cave near the end of the wall shelters a branch of orange coral, which is what divers come to see.
How deep is the Orange Coral wall?+
The wall starts at 5 metres and can go beyond 40. The depth of the cave itself is not published, so the profile depends on where on the face the group turns.
Sources
- Orange Coral dive site — Scubago
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