Morro Jable, Canary Islands, Spain

Mountains of Veril

The Mountains of Veril, also known as the Veriles, are a chain of submerged volcanic peaks located south of the Jandia peninsula on Fuerteventura, with their highest summits at around 20 metres and their bases at 35 metres. Currents accelerate around the pinnacles, attracting schooling fish in considerable density. Common encounters include large schools of bastard grunt, salema and barracuda, amberjack hunting in the blue, common rays and the impressive bull ray that is regular on the sand at the base of the seamounts. Resident dusky groupers, conger eels and moray eels populate the cracks, and angel sharks rest on the sand patches in winter. The walls are coated in yellow encrusting anemones and golden cup coral. Because of distance from shore, depth and current, the site is reserved for advanced divers and the dive is normally planned as a current-aware drift along one or two of the peaks. 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.