Cave diving in Lanzarote
Sea caves and lava tubes: the Catedral and the Cueva de las Gambas at Puerto del Carmen, the El Ascensor lava tube and the small caverns of Charco del Palo near Mala — the famous Túnel de la Atlántida under the Jameos del Agua (1.6 km, -64 m) is open to scientific expeditions only.
5 caves · down to 64 m · 4 suitable for an intro team
All 5 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Catedral (Puerto del Carmen) | 32 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Charco del Palo | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cueva de las Gambas (Puerto del Carmen) | 45 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| El Ascensor (Mala) | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Túnel de la Atlántida⛔ Closed to divers | 64 m | Backmount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112. Hyperbaric chamber: Hiperox, Hospital Insular de Lanzarote, C/ Juan de Quesada s/n, 35500 Arrecife — tel. +34 928 81 00 00 ext. 147 (daily 07:00–23:00) or +34 629 18 39 21 (Mon–Fri 09:00–14:00); per the Cabildo (2014) available 24 hours a day, outside those hours via 112. ~15 min from Puerto del Carmen. Other accredited chamber in the Canaries: Hospital Universitario de Canarias (La Laguna, Tenerife). DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
Access and rules
- The Jameos del Agua and the Cueva de los Verdes lie in the Monumento Natural de La Corona. Scientific or sporting visits to other parts of the lava tube (e.g. the gated Cueva de los Siete Lagos) need authorisation.
- Reserva Marina La Graciosa e islotes del norte (northern tip of Lanzarote, La Graciosa, Montaña Clara, Alegranza): diving only with a permit applied for in advance — interior waters via the Canary Government (Dirección General de Pesca; free, decision within 20 days, no reply = refused), exterior waters via the Ministry (MAPA). Daily quotas per zone; no diving in the integral reserve around Roque del Este. Puerto del Carmen and Mala lie outside the reserve.
Closed or restricted
- Túnel de la Atlántida: not for recreational divers. Only scientific expeditions with permission from the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Canary Government's environment department. The Jameos del Agua is a tourist centre of the Cabildo (CACT), a Bien de Interés Cultural and Sitio de Interés Científico; bathing is banned (fine €600–3,000 per a guide on site) and no coins may go into the lake, because of the blind crab Munidopsis polymorpha.
Gas and fills
- Gas and CCR: trimix, O₂ and helium at Lanzarote Dive Centre (Puerto del Carmen; also sofnolime and rental of AP Inspiration and Hollis Explorer units) and Rubicón Diving (Playa Blanca; sofnolime, CCR courses). Nitrox is widely available (free for certified nitrox divers at Manta Diving). Scooter rental: ask.
Water and season
- Water 17–24 °C through the year. Many centres are in Puerto del Carmen. The east coast at Mala and Charco del Palo is exposed to wind and swell: only in good conditions.
Rest day
- Rest day: the Jameos del Agua and the Cueva de los Verdes (show caves in the same lava tube) can be visited.
Plan a cave diving trip to Lanzarote
Enter your team, with certifications, gas and configurations, and see right away which caves fit. With driving times from your stay, fill stations and an AI instructor who thinks along.
Compiled from web research (Sept 2026): UNED GAMA (Proyecto Sublántida), Franjo Sánchez, Koenemann & Iliffe (Marine Biodiversity 2009), Divernet, DIVER magazine, Crónicas de Lanzarote, Diario de Avisos, Biosfera Digital, Wikipedia (es, en, de), MAPA and Gobierno de Canarias (La Graciosa marine reserve), Hiperox Lanzarote, Revista Integración, Océanos de Fuego, dive centres (Canary Island Divers, Deep Team, Native Diving, Calipso Diving, Safari Diving, Manta Diving, Lanzarote Dive Centre, Rubicón Diving), PADI, dive.site and wannadive. Pins come from Wikipedia (Jameos del Agua) and wannadive (for sea caves a dive position); El Ascensor has no pin. ~ = estimate (drive times too); certification levels and configurations are estimates. Rules change — check locally.