Snorkeling in Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands

You will find the Canary islands are an excellent place to snorkel ... not as vivid in colour as tropical destinations, but much more prolific that the Mediterranean, and you can see parrotfish, damselfish, wrasse and plenty of other beautiful fish - all year round.

The Canaries, which are in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the West coast of Africa, have a sub-tropical climate. In summer the water temperature in the Canary Islands reach a peak of about 24ºC; while in winter the Canaries, warmed by the Gulf stream in the Atlantic, only drop to around 18ºC.

The Canaries may surprise you as a snorkeling destination :

• You can snorkel at over 100 spots spread over the seven main Canary Islands
• You can see angel sharks, rays, barracudas, parrotfish, damselfish and a mix of sub-tropical and European species
• For more experienced scuba divers there are caves, volcanic tunnels, deep dives and wreck dives.
• The sub-tropical water is warm enough to use a good wetsuit and you can snorkel all year round

If you are looking for somewhere to snorkel on the coast of Gran Canaria, then some of the best sites can be found in the El Cabron Marine Reserve near Arinaga on the east coast. Here you can see a wide variety of life thanks to the relatively abundant levels of sea-grass, where the fish reproduce in spring. Alongside the common yet colourful species such as Wrasse, Blue and Atlantic damselfish, Parrotfish, Pufferfish, Breams, and Sea Cucumbers you may see lizardfish, weeverfish, blennies or razorfish; and if you are very lucky you can see octopus, cuttlefish and even angelsharks and rays in just a few metres of water.

The snorkeling at the Playa del Cabrón is among the best with a good access from the beach, and several areas of prolific life. There are usually plenty of gold-striped bream, band-tailed puffers, turkish wrasse, bluefin damselfish and parrotfish in the area in front of the few houses. The only problem is access by car .. If you have a hire car you may prefer to leave it by the school and walk the last 200m rather than risk damaging your vehicle. This beach also has no facilities (toilets, bars, cafes, shops etc) so we recommend that take plenty of bottled water and everything else you need with you.

Risco Verde is within the town of Arinaga, and has similar species to El Cabrón for snorkelling. Here you can park alongside and there is a nice restaurant, and the 'mini-museum' around the Hornos de Cal (restored Lime Kilns). From here you can walk along the promenade around the coast of Arinaga and look at two other places. The swimming pool at Zoco Negro is ideal if you have young family members who want an introductory swim / snorkel. This area is enclosed by a rock wall to make it safe for bathers, and the council have spent a lot of time and money over the last two years improving access and facilities here. Keep walking on the promenade and the area inside the pier is a very sheltered area which is perfect for the less adventurous snorkeler.