SHORE DIVE · SOUTH-EAST TENERIFE

Punta Prieta, South-East Tenerife

Punta Prieta is a shore dive on Tenerife's south-east coast, mixing sandy hills with a volcanic reef and a drop-off from around 22 to 35 metres, a site that consistently turns up something unexpected on the sand.

DIVE SITE OVERVIEW

REGION

South-East Tenerife

ACCESS

Shore dive · Punta Prieta

RECOMMENDED LEVEL

Advanced Open Water

TYPICAL DEPTH

~20 m

MAXIMUM DEPTH

38 m

WATER TEMPERATURE

18-24°C

Why We Love Punta Prieta

Punta Prieta rewards divers who take the sandy sections as seriously as the reef. Frogfish and seahorses are the kind of sightings you have to look for rather than stumble into, and this is one of the more reliable places in Tenerife to find them.

The drop-off itself is genuinely dramatic underwater photography terrain, and the medium current that can build here keeps the site feeling alive rather than static.

Punta Prieta sits on Tenerife's south-east coast, with shore entry from a small beach in the town. The terrain mixes sandy hills with volcanic reef, dropping off from around 22 metres down to 35 metres along the site's outer edge.

A small cavern at around 33 metres adds another point of interest for divers comfortable at depth, but much of the site's reputation comes from what turns up on the sand itself: rays, angel sharks and some genuinely unusual finds.

UNDERWATER LANDSCAPE

Sandy hills lead out to a volcanic reef, with a drop-off running from around 22 metres to 35 metres along the site's edge, dramatic terrain well suited to underwater photography.

A small cavern at around 33 metres offers a further point of interest for divers with the training and experience to explore it comfortably.

MARINE LIFE

Marine life you might see

Frogfish & Seahorses

YEAR-ROUND

Some of the more reliable sightings in Tenerife, found by divers who take their time over the sand and reef edges.

Moray Eels & Triggerfish

YEAR-ROUND

Found among the rocky and volcanic sections of the reef.

Rays & Angel Sharks

YEAR-ROUND

Regularly seen on the sandy areas of the site.

Sardines

YEAR-ROUND

Schooling over the reef in the shallower sections.

CONDITIONS & SUITABILITY

Visibility

Typically 10-30 metres.

Current

Medium on normal days; can be challenging for less experienced divers.

Temperature

Approx. 18°C in winter to 24°C in summer.

Best season

Year-round.

Exposure protection

5 mm for most divers; 7 mm for those who feel the cold more, given the depth.

PERFECT FOR

Advanced Open Water divers comfortable with depth and some current, and underwater photographers drawn to dramatic terrain.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR

Newly certified divers or anyone uneasy with current, given the depth and conditions here.

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BARBARIAN INSTRUCTOR TIP

Slow down over the sandy sections rather than making straight for the reef: frogfish and seahorses blend in extremely well, and a careful, patient eye is what finds them.