Arrecife, Canary Islands, Spain

Bahia de Naos

Bahia de Naos is a sheltered bay on the eastern shoulder of Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, and one of the most reliable shore dives of the island regardless of the trade wind direction. The bay's bottom is a wide sand plain interrupted by low volcanic outcrops from 8 to 22 metres, used historically as a fishing harbour and now a popular training dive site. The sand hosts large numbers of common octopus, frequent butterfly rays and round stingrays cruising the open ground, common cuttlefish in winter and electric torpedo rays. The volcanic outcrops shelter scorpionfish, ornate wrasse, broomtail wrasse and the occasional dusky grouper. The protected angel shark, a Canarian flagship, is reported on the sand patches in winter. Conditions are normally calm, currents are negligible and visibility is consistent around 18 to 22 metres, making the bay an ideal beginner shore dive. The Canary Islands sit on the eastern edge of the Atlantic and benefit from the cool, nutrient-rich Canary Current that flows south along Africa, keeping water temperatures between 18 C in late winter and 23 C in late summer and supporting a mixed Atlantic and macaronesian fauna with confirmed Canarian endemics. The archipelago is the last reliable European stronghold of the angel shark Squatina squatina, classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, and dive operators contribute regular sightings to the Angel Shark Project monitoring programme. Local dive centres operate year round and most sites can be accessed with one short boat or shore transfer.