Tenerife

Tenerife Advice or Buddy March 4-11 2007?

Looking for advice about Freediving in [ame="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Tenerife,+Spain&sll=48.163196,11.573121&sspn=0.009031,0.017467&ie=UTF8&z=4&ll=28.292289,-16.520691&spn=47.765326,100.371094&t=h&om=1"]Tenerife[/ame] (figured I would extend a thread)

I am staying in [ame="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=garachico,+Spain&ie=UTF8&z=13&t=h&om=1"]Garachico[/ame] (north side of Tenerife) from March 4 - 11 2007

I am looking mostly to do Freediving and casual underwater-photography.

1) Where are good shore accessible dive spots?
Any that people can reccomend? My ideal spot has nice reef in 5-20m of depth (my girlfriend is more comfortable to about 8m) and I don't want to push it if I don't have a strong buddy.

Would love some comments on the following sites! and if you can get to them by swimming off shore.

1. Reef Playa Paraiso
2. The wreck Condesito off of Los Christianos
3. Reef Los Gigantes

2) What is the story with Boats and Freediving on Tenerife?
Where can you rent or hire a boat? How expensive is it? I have seen people reccomend Atlantic-Divers on this list, but their website is very SCUBA oriented, and they look like they do pretty short out and back in trips (surface intervals on shore). I like to be out in the water for a couple hours at least. User Seadive posts beautiful macro pictures of Tenerife but Subcanaria also seems to be very SCUBA centric.

3) Any Freedivers looking for dive-buddy between March 4-11 2007?
I have my girlfriend with me, but she thinks the water will be too cold for her to really enjoy it.

4) Could someone reccomend a dive-shop to rent lead?
I don't like using up my luggage allowence to ship lead around. I will bring my own wetsuit and belt, but if I could just rent 5kg of lead for the wee that would be nice.

I don't know the fish, the geography, have a kitchen in my hotel, or have a speargun with me. So I don't have plans to spearfish. I have done spearfishing before, so if someone is looking for a buddy I could probably do a day or two of that as at least a safety diving buddy.

Any advice stories or other that you have would be appreciated!

Will post a dive report when I get back.

Tenerife Shore Dive Report

Here are some reviews of shore accessible dive locations on Tenerife in the Canarie Islands. I was staying in [ame="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Garachico,+Spain&layer=&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=13&ll=28.37222,-16.765137&spn=0.113734,0.154667&t=h&iwloc=addr"]Garachico[/ame] on the North West side of the Island. I rented weights (5kg for 1 week 14 Euro, kind of expensive, but not as expensive ateh overage fees on the plane).

Garachico bay by the walking area and swimming pools:

This is actually a pretty nice site. I am a bit partial as I
was staying here and the town is very nice place to visit.
You can walk down from a couple of different spots, but the
best spot for a diver is by the little fort. You go down the
stairs (there was a gate but I just hopped over it) and there is
a nice level space and ladder into the water.


There is a break wall, behind the break wall the depth is to
15m. The water is calmer and the terrain more vertical behind
the break wall. On the outside of the wall depth goes down
rapidly I only went down to -20.1m, but if you head toward
the little island (Garachico) the staff at the dive shop said
it goes down below 40m.


When I was there a nice mix of reef fish, vis 15m behind the
wall and 20m+ on the outside of the break wall temperatures
around 19C It was a Yellow Flag day when I went out.

Nice mix of rocks, relatively protected, very clear water. Very
sensitive to weather, when the winds come up it gets very
choppy even behind the break wall.


Garachico old harbour:

This is a little bit further down, right next to the tourist
parking lot. This beach is black sand and has mild wave
action. There is a step on the wall by the parking lot with a
nice step and a ladder. 18m depth, I didn't go to far out
around the point due to surge.

The weather wasn't great when I was there. Red flag around
the corner but the SCUBA divers were out. I think there is
suppose to be a cave around there but I didn't find it.

When I was there vis was between 5-8m depending on location.
My preferred area was the steep rocky wall on west side. Fewer
but bigger fish here.

Tenerife Shore Dive Report

Nort West Point of the Island

Teno:

This turned out to be a great dive site. It is way out at the
point by the lighthouse. I went here two days in a row. The
south side is well protected from much of the wind. You have
to go through the all the signs that say you should not drive
on the road,

then you have to try and find a parking spot at
the busy parking lot. This is a mixed set of people, fishers,
spear fishers, tourists, locals. Interesting life around
6-16m, deeper water is available. Watch out if you begin to
swim around the point out of th harbour as there is a bit of
current that will pull you around the point. Lots of different
reef fish, fun rock flows at different levels.

Tenerife Shore Dive Report

These sites are on the SW of the Island near the big hotel districts.

La Caleta:

This was bit of a disappointment for me, I swam out at least
1km and still found no water deeper than 12m and lots of
boats going around. This day only had visibility at 5-8m. Could
have just been the day. Also it would have been better if I
had gone around the point, rather than the beach and the bay.


La Galleta, Callao Mandracula:

This has a nice beach, it is on the south point, the parking
lot is a point going out to the opening of the port. I found
the diving better on the West side of the bay. There is nice
reef along that side down to about 12m. If you swim out to
the middle of the opening of the bay there is more reef. I
just followed the fish to find it. It is between 16-22m

Visibility this day was about 8-12m