7 caves · down to 45 m · 7 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in Tenerife
- Caves7
- Max depth45 m
- For intro teams7
- Dive centres2
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Macaronesian Divers (Radazul)Air and nitrox (the site also mentions 'other gases'; trimix: ask)
Why come here
On Tenerife you dive lava tubes, caverns and arches in the sea, such as the Tubo de Garachico and the Cueva de los Cerebros. These are not cave dives in the usual sense but boat dives guided by local dive centres; the tourism board rates the lava tubes 'High', and you bring a primary and a backup light. The north coast is exposed to the Atlantic swell, and the Cueva de los Cerebros is only dived in a flat sea. No source was found for water temperature and visibility, so ask your dive centre. Puerto de la Cruz is the base.
Don't miss
- Tubo de Garachico (El Tubo): a lava tube more than 150 m long where beams of light fall through holes in the ceiling, with a landscape of basalt columns at the exit.
- Cueva de los Cerebros (Playa San Juan): called 'the Canarian cenote' by a dive centre, with clear water and brain-shaped sponges that normally live much deeper and are protected as an endangered species.
- La Catedral (Puerto de la Cruz): a rocky shelf with arches, vaults and caves reminiscent of the inside of a cathedral, with coral gardens on the terraces.
- Cueva del Zorro (sur de Tenerife): according to Sa Caleta its two exits make it a good first taste of caves, with rays resting inside and backlight at the exit.
On a rest day
- Teide National Park: The national park around the Teide, Spain's highest mountain, with a cable car to just below the summit.
- Cueva del Viento: One of the longest lava tubes in the world, near Icod de los Vinos, where a guide takes you through about 250 m of it.
- Garachico: The town whose harbour was buried by lava in 1706, with the natural pools of El Caletón in the cooled lava.
All 7 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Catedral (Puerto de la Cruz)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Open water / no overhead | 45 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Cueva de Ali Babá (El Condesito)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 42 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cueva de las Morenas (sur de Tenerife)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 32 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cueva de los Cerebros (Playa San Juan)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 18 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Cueva de Matanza (La Matanza de Acentejo)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Open water / no overhead | 35 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Cueva del Zorro (sur de Tenerife)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Open water / no overhead | 20 m | Backmount | Open water / no overhead |
| Tubo de Garachico (El Tubo)Backmount · Cavern | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
2 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Macaronesian Divers (Radazul)
Av. Colón 6, puerta 2 y 4, 38109 Radazul (El Rosario)
Air and nitrox (the site also mentions 'other gases'; trimix: ask)
9:00–13:30 and 16:00–19:00 (the centre's opening hours)
Training: SSI
Guided dives: La Catedral (Puerto de la Cruz)
Rental: Dive equipment (full set or single items) and scooters (DPV)
SSI centre in Radazul on the east coast, with shore and boat dives nearby and trips to 'top dives' elsewhere on the island, including La Catedral off Puerto de la Cruz (Advanced recommended). Runs SSI courses up to Extended Range and decompression diving.
Sa Caleta Tenerife (Los Cristianos)
Calle Finlandia, Edificio Atlántico, local C, 38650 Los Cristianos
Training: PADI
Guided dives: Cueva de los Cerebros (Playa San Juan), Cueva del Zorro (sur de Tenerife), Cueva de las Morenas (sur de Tenerife), Cueva de Ali Babá (El Condesito)
Rental: Full dive equipment (per dive or per day) and dive computers; also photo equipment
PADI 5 Star centre in Los Cristianos with its own compressor and a fast RIB from Los Cristianos harbour; out to sea daily at 9:00 and 11:00, shop open daily 9:00–14:30. Its own site describes the Cueva de los Cerebros, the Cueva del Zorro, the Cueva de las Morenas and the Cueva de Ali Babá. Teaches the PADI Nitrox course among others; walk-in fills for visitors: ask.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Puerto de la Cruz and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Puerto de la Cruz, Los Cristianos
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- Puerto de la CruzBooking.com ↗
- Los CristianosBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112. Hyperbaric chamber: the hyperbaric medicine unit of the Hospital Universitario de Canarias (HUC) in La Laguna, per Diario de Avisos (May 2026) the only one of its kind in the Canary Islands, available 24 hours a day but short of staff during shifts. Have your dive centre or 112 check that it works. DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
Access and rules
- Protected nature: the Cueva de los Cerebros is a Natura 2000 site of its own (ZEC Cueva marina de San Juan, ES7020117) and the west coast from Buenavista del Norte to Arona lies in the ZEC Franja marina Teno-Rasca (ES7020017). There you may not catch or collect protected species, feed animals or dump anything from a boat. The brain sponges in the Cueva de los Cerebros are on the Canary Islands catalogue of endangered species: don't touch.
Gas and fills
- Gas: air and nitrox at Macaronesian Divers (Radazul); trimix, O₂ and sorb not confirmed on the centres' websites: ask.
Water and season
- Sea: the north coast (Garachico, Puerto de la Cruz, La Matanza) is exposed to the Atlantic swell; with too much swell you can't enter the Tubo de Garachico through its small entrance. The Cueva de los Cerebros needs a flat sea without swell. There can be current at La Catedral. Water temperature and visibility: no source found, ask your dive centre.
Getting around
- Travel: two airports, Tenerife Norte (TFN, near La Laguna) and Tenerife Sur (TFS, near Los Cristianos). The north coast is closer to Tenerife Norte, Los Cristianos and Playa San Juan to Tenerife Sur.
Good to know
- Read this first: on Tenerife you dive lava tubes, caverns and arches in the sea, such as the Tubo de Garachico and the Cueva de los Cerebros, and the vaults of La Catedral and the Cueva de Matanza. Not cave dives in the usual sense: they are boat dives, guided by local dive centres. The tourism board rates the lava tubes 'High'; bring a primary and a backup light.
News
No recent news found about the caves in this region.
Searched automatically, last on 5 Nov 2026.
Going to Tenerife with your team?
Marcel finds the sites that match your team's certifications.
Plan a trip