Lanzarote & Museo Atlántico, the area around The Tongues

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

Depth profile of The Tongues: typical dive to 18 m (to 60 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit18 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

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
Month-by-month season rating for The Tongues
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGood

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

  1. 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

25–40 madvanced

Cave & cavern

A short swim-through entered at 26 m, exiting at 18 m

18–26 madvanced

Shore-entry reef at 7-8 m, the local beginner and refresher dive

to 8 mbeginner

Reef

Black coral forest and gorgonia between 40 and 85 m

40–85 madvanced

Lava formations stepping from 12 m to a 45 m bottom

12–30 m · max 45 madvanced

Cave & cavern

A cave full of narwhal shrimp on a wall with a 40 m foot

to 40 madvanced

Artificial reef

Europe's first underwater museum, opened in January 2017

12–14 mbeginner

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