
Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico · Spain · Reef
The Tongues
Six-metre lava formations with schooling barracuda, all inside 18 m
Area photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0
Long lava reef formations about six metres high run out into a volcanic reef off Playa Blanca, with a maximum depth of 18 metres over the whole site. The draw is the amount of fish: big schools of barracuda and bream, groupers and triggerfish on the rock, and angel sharks and stingrays among the formations.
Where it is and how deep
28.8534° N, 13.8193° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is named for the long lava formations that stand about six metres above the seabed, and the dive is a matter of following them out until they lead onto the volcanic reef beyond. Maximum depth is 18 metres anywhere on the route, so the profile stays flat, the light stays good and a single tank covers the whole of it without any decompression pressure.
What the formations carry is fish in quantity. Big schools of barracuda and bream hold over the rock, groupers and triggerfish sit closer in to it, and angel sharks and stingrays are among the species recorded here. With no depth to manage, most of the dive is spent working slowly along the formations and looking into them rather than covering ground.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Stingrays
- Groupers
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is The Tongues in Lanzarote?+
Maximum depth is 18 metres. The lava formations themselves stand about six metres high, so the profile stays shallow across the whole route.
Is The Tongues suitable for beginners?+
Yes. With an 18 m maximum over the whole site it sits within Open Water limits, and it is normally dived with a guide from a boat.
Sources
- The Tongues dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico
Artificial reef
A dive that starts at a submerged boat and runs to 40 m
A short swim-through entered at 26 m, exiting at 18 m
Reef
Shore-entry reef at 7-8 m, the local beginner and refresher dive
Reef
Black coral forest and gorgonia between 40 and 85 m
Reef
Lava formations stepping from 12 m to a 45 m bottom
Cave & cavern
A cave full of narwhal shrimp on a wall with a 40 m foot
Artificial reef
Outfall pipes standing as the only structure on an open platform
Artificial reef
Europe's first underwater museum, opened in January 2017
Similar dives elsewhere
Amphitheatre reef in the underwater park, 10–24 m
Volcanic caves and coral blocks inside 18 metres
Easy 8 m to 20 m slope with a resident school of grunts
Easy reef from 8 m on the rock to 22 m on the sand


