Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico · Spain · Wall · Cave & cavern
Playa Chica
A drop-off starting at 15 to 18 metres, dived from the beach
Photo: Bthv · CC BY-SA 3.0
Playa Chica is the cove at the old-town end of Puerto del Carmen and the practical centre of diving on this coast: more than ten separate dive sites are reached from the one entry, by shore or by boat. The ground off it is broken rather than uniform, with caves, cliffs and lava tubes as well as open rock, and plenty of marine life along it.
Also known as Playa Chica Wall, Veril de Playa Chica.
Where it is and how deep
28.9228° N, 13.6494° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Everything starts from the same cove. Divers enter at Playa Chica in the old town and swim out from the beach, and from that one point more than ten separate routes open up, which is why this is treated as the real centre of diving in this part of the island. The choice is made on the surface rather than underwater: you pick a route before you get wet, and the same sites can equally be run from a boat.
The wall is the main line. It starts at around 15 to 18 metres and drops away much deeper, and the ground along it keeps changing — caves, cliffs and lava tubes rather than one continuous face, with plenty of marine life along the rock. Typical dives out of Puerto del Carmen sit in a 21-metre-plus band, and the depth available here is what makes the area suit advanced and technical training.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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 keeps going well below recreational depth. Easy access to depth is what suits this area to advanced and technical courses, so agree a hard maximum before you leave the surface.
Dive videos
Scuba diving in Playa Chica, Lanzarote, Canary Islands · Filip Young on YouTube
Diving Lanzarote: Shipwreck & Stingrays at Playa Chica (Puerto del Carmen) - 4K - May 2026 · MikesBlueWorld on YouTube
Sources
- Puerto del Carmen — Wikipedia
- Best dive sites in Lanzarote guide — Dawn Dives Lanzarote
- Puntos de inmersión en Lanzarote — Rubicón Diving
Photo credits
- Sunlit rocky reef visible through clear shallow water at Playa Chica by Bthv, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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