On Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, it is possible. I’ve dived on the neighboring island of Tenerife a couple of times before (read all about it here and here), so this time I went for something different underwater. Do read all the way to the end, I’m saving the best part for last. So read on!
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| Lanzarote is a volcanic island. The landscape is very barren. |
I just got back a brief holiday on Lanzarote. Lanzarote is a small island , only about 60 kilometers long and about 20 wide and not very far from the coast of western Africa. It is a volcanic island, and the most distinguishing feature of Lanzarote is the incredible, barren landscape that consists of great hunks of dark lava rock as far as the eye can see. Yes, yes, this is a dive blog, I won’t bore you any more with landscapes.
Moving on, there are many dive centers on Lanzarote, and they offer the typical good service that a dive center offers. Courses, try dives, and different skill level dives in the coastal waters of the island. And it’s all well and good. But this time I did something different for my underwater adventure. I took a submarine.
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| The submarine we went on is called Sub Fun Tres. It was designed and built in Finland. |
Submarine Safaris is the company that offers these incredible submarine dive trips. They are situated in Puerto Calero on the southern coast of Lanzarote. Submarine Safaris was established in 1997 and they have since made over 30 000 dives and taken a staggering 800 000 people on this amazing underwater adventure. They also have another submarine on the island of Tenerife.
Before the actual dive we, the group taking part in this dive, were shown a safety video and given a briefing on the dive. Then, we took a short walk from the center to the pier where the submarine is docked. Once we were all seated safely inside the submarine, a safety boat tugged us out of the harbor and the actual dive could begin.
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| Submarine Safaris offers incredible submarine dive trips. |
The crew closed the hatches and finally the submarine dive could begin. It was great! The sub sunk slowly down into the blueness of the ocean, with schools of fish swimming past the windows on both sides. The ride was very smooth and quiet. Relaxing, just the way I had wanted it.
We soon reached near the bottom and the submarine calmly swam maybe about two meters above it. The visibility was very good as we moved along, enjoying the views in the clear blue. It felt a bit like a slow drift dive, where you don’t have to swim, you just let the water move you along as you suck in the views. The route took us past three ship wrecks and the crew told us about them and the many species of marine life we saw on the way.
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| The dive took us past three ship wrecks. |
Ok, so here comes the best part. The really, really good bit. The thing I was saving for last. A huge, three-meter-long sting ray turned up and swam around our submarine for a long while. She went round the submarine several times. There were two divers feeding the fish outside the submarine, and this easy meal must have attracted the giant. Apparently it is not uncommon to see this particular sting ray on this trip. She comes around so often that they have even given her a name. All in all, the dive took about an hour in total, and it was over too soon. I was ready for another run on the spot.
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| A huge sting ray swam around the submarine for a long while |
The submarine we went on is called Sub Fun Tres. It was designed and built in Finland. It is 1,5 meters long and 4 meters wide. It weighs 106 tons and can dive as deep as 60 meters. The sub can take up to 48 passengers.This submarine trip is probably as close as you’ll get to an underwater adventure as Jules Verne imagined it. I’m sure captain Nemo would approve.
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| The submarine is docked at the beautiful Puerto Calero harbor |
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