Tenerife is a good place for your first dive, and not because a brochure says so: Spanish law requires every pupil on a try dive to be accompanied by an instructor who can't look after anyone else. For beginners, the best areas are the sheltered coves of the south and south-west; if you're already certified, the El Condesito wreck and the Cueva de los Cerebros are the best-known dives.
What isn't worth buying is the promise. Lots of trips are advertised "in turtle habitat", and the green turtle shows up when it feels like it, not when the advert says. If a centre offers to feed turtles or rays, go elsewhere.
Our picks
1
The most-reviewed try dive
Two hours, from €70 and rated 4.8 from more than 900 reviews. Turtle area, though sightings aren't guaranteed.
GetYourGuide2 hours
Tenerife: Beginner's Dive at a Spot with Turtle Sightings
4.8 (908 reviews)
from €70Check availability
2
Highly rated and unhurried
Three hours in all, rated 4.9 from more than 300 reviews: a good choice if you don't want to be rushed.
GetYourGuide3 hours
Tenerife: Beginner Scuba Dive Experience
4.9 (342 reviews)
from €83Check availability
3
East-coast alternative
Try dive at Abades, entering from the shore. Handy when there's a swell in the south-west.
GetYourGuide4 hours
Tenerife: Abades Beach Beginner Diving Experience
4.7 (170 reviews)
from €85Check availability
4
If you're staying in Santa Cruz or the north
Rated 5.0 from 141 reviews, and it saves you crossing the island to the south.
GetYourGuide3 hours
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Beginner's Diving & Introduction
5.0 (141 reviews)
from €78Check availability
Try dive or certified dive: what you need
Try dive (also sold as a "discover scuba" or "baptism" dive). You don't need any qualification. You fill in and sign a health questionnaire; if you answer "yes" to any question, the centre will ask for a medical certificate before you get in the water. After the briefing, you always go down with your instructor beside you.
Guided dive for certified divers. Bring your certification card and proof of dive insurance; Aquarius asks to see both. The centres pair you with a guide and a buddy: by law nobody dives alone, and the recreational limit is 40 m, on air or nitrox only, with no planned decompression stops.
What the law says about age and depth
Recreational diving in Spain is regulated by Royal Decree 550/2020. The age limits are as follows:
| Age | Maximum depth |
|---|---|
| 8–9 | 6 m |
| 10–11 | 12 m |
| 12–15 | 21 m |
| 16–18 | 40 m |
For children, the kids' programme (Bubblemaker) costs between €69 and €120 depending on the centre. For other ideas with little ones, see Tenerife with kids.
Scuba diving prices in Tenerife
There's no single price: the same "try dive" ranges from €70 to €120 between two well-known centres in the south, and what's included varies a lot. These are their direct rates:
| Item | Aquarius Dive Center (El Fraile, trips from Las Galletas) | Ocean Trek (Torviscas, Costa Adeje) |
|---|---|---|
| Try dive, 1 dive | €70 booking online (€83 standard rate) | €90 (Discover Scuba Diver: €120) |
| Try dive, 2 dives | €110 | — |
| Guided dive, certified | €40 + €6 for full kit | €60 with kit and pick-up within about 10 km |
| Dive packs | 6 dives €228; 10 dives €340 | 6 dives €300; 10 dives €460 |
| Extras | night dive €55 | boat +€15; night dive +€25; nitrox +€10 |
| Open Water course | €435 | €500 |
| Advanced course | €329 | €420 |
| Day insurance | €9 (€20 a week) | not published |
Compare like with like. Aquarius's €40 doesn't include kit; Ocean Trek's €60 does, plus a hotel pick-up, but adds €15 if the dive is from a boat. Aquarius opens daily from 09:00 to 17:30 and cancels free of charge up to 48 h ahead; Ocean Trek opens Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays.
On the booking platforms, the try dives in the selection below range from €65 to €110. The two-dive option is usually the best buy: at Aquarius a second dive on the same day adds only €40.
See dates for the most-reviewed try divefrom €70Affiliate link: it costs you nothing extra.
Where to dive in Tenerife: dive sites by coast
South: Las Galletas and Punta Rasca
Montaña Amarilla has arches and caves, averages about 15 m and reaches 25 m at most, and you can dive it from the shore or 1.5 miles by boat from Las Galletas harbour. Faro de Rasca is less than ten minutes away by boat: basalt columns like organ pipes and canyons at about 20 m. Los Chuchos, between 15 and 22 m, is a sandy bottom with rays and the remains of a wooden fishing boat, suitable for Open Water level. The classic version of this dive involved feeding the rays: if a centre still offers that, choose another.
The El Condesito wreck, at Punta Rasca, is a 30 m ship that ran aground in 1971 and now lies broken up in a canyon at about 20 m; the site ranges from 12 to 30 m and currents can make it tricky. It's 3.7 nautical miles from Los Cristianos.
South-west: Adeje and Playa San Juan
El Puertito de Armeñime, in Adeje, averages 6 m and reaches 15 m at most, with no current, and you go in from the shore or by boat. It's the classic spot for "turtle" try dives and also the busiest: the official listing warns about boat traffic and recommends going first thing. There's currently building work around the cove and the beach has been closed to swimmers because of faecal bacteria: before you go, check the notices from Adeje council. The details are in snorkelling and turtles.
The Cueva de los Cerebros, off Playa San Juan (Guía de Isora), is a lava tube at 18 m with brain-shaped sponges, which are protected. The official listing rates it advanced: it's not for your first dive, even if someone sells it to you that way.
East: Radazul, Tabaiba and Abades
On the east coast you dive from the shore with parking close by, which makes it plan B when there's a swell in the south-west. Radazul bay drops to 20 m and is the classic night-dive spot. At Tabaiba lies the El Peñón wreck, a 35 m ship scuttled in 2006 as an artificial reef, listing at 30° with a maximum depth of 32 m. Abades, further south on this coast, is another shore entry with parking, and one of the try dives in the selection leaves from there. Radazul and Tabaiba are next to Santa Cruz, on TITSA line 139.
When to dive: sea temperature
You can dive all year round, in the wetsuit the centres provide. The water is coldest from February to April (19–20 °C on average) and warmest in September and October (nearly 24 °C), not in July. The month-by-month weather is in when to go to Tenerife.
Safety: insurance, health and the hyperbaric chamber
Insurance is compulsory. Every recreational diver must have accident and third-party liability cover. If your travel policy doesn't cover diving, expect to pay €9 for a day at Aquarius (€20 a week, €25 a month, €50 a year). Ask when you book whether the try-dive price already includes it.
The health declaration isn't a formality. Answer honestly: a "yes" doesn't rule you out, it just means bringing a medical certificate.
The main hyperbaric chamber is in the north. Decompression accidents are treated at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias in La Laguna, a long way from the southern resorts: another reason to respect dive times and depths.
If you'd rather stay dry: the submarine
If someone in your group doesn't want to put a regulator in their mouth, the Tenerife submarine dives to 25–30 m with 44 passengers at normal pressure. It leaves from Amarilla Marina, formerly Marina San Miguel (San Miguel de Abona), spends about 50 minutes underwater and doesn't take children under 2.
| Platform | Product | Rating | Price | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Southern Tenerife: 50-Minute Submarine Dive | 4.8 (2,600) | €61 | See on GetYourGuide |
| Tiqets | Submarine: Dive into the Atlantic Ocean | 4.3 (58) | €61 | See on Tiqets |
| Headout | Tenerife Submarine Tour | 4.0 (1) | €61 | See on Headout |
| Official site | Submarine Safaris, online fare | — | €57.95 | Official website ↗ |
Adult prices checked on 2 October 2026. They can change with the date; each platform confirms the final price.
All three platforms sell it at €61, which is the operator's standard rate. On its official website it costs €57.95 for adults if you book online, with free cancellation up to 24 h ahead, so here the direct route works out a little cheaper.
More try dives and diving trips
GetYourGuide1 - 3 hours
Southern Tenerife: 50-Minute Submarine Dive
4.8 (2,600 reviews)
from €61Check availability
GetYourGuide3 hours
Tenerife: 2-in-1 Scuba Diving & Snorkelling in Turtle Habitat
4.7 (1,996 reviews)
from €75Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Tenerife: Beginner's Dive at a Spot with Turtle Sightings
4.8 (908 reviews)
from €70Check availability
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Tenerife Snorkeling Boat Trip in a Turtle Habitat
4.2 (1,801 reviews)
from €45Check availability
GetYourGuide3 hours
Tenerife: Beginner Scuba Dive Experience
4.9 (342 reviews)
from €83Check availability
GetYourGuide3 hours
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Beginner's Diving & Introduction
5.0 (141 reviews)
from €78Check availability
Tiqets01:30
Tenerife: Guided Underwater Walking Experience
4.7 (3 reviews)
from €85Check availability
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Tenerife: Scuba Diving Experience for Every Level
4.9 (140 reviews)
from €87Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →
Tips before you book
- Book your try dive for the first few days. If you enjoy it, you'll have time to go again or start your Open Water.
- Ask what happens if there's a swell. A change of site, a new date or a refund: get them to tell you before you pay.
- Combine it with other water activities. Kayaking with snorkelling is a cheap alternative for non-divers, and a good share of the boat trips leave from Puerto Colón in Costa Adeje.
- No swimming with dolphins. Swimming or diving next to wild whales and dolphins is banned; if you meet one underwater, don't interact and move away. To see them, a whale-watching boat is the better bet.
How much does a try dive cost in Tenerife?
Between €70 and €120 for one dive depending on the centre; two dives on the same day cost from €110. On the booking platforms there are try dives from €65.
Do I need to know how to dive or have a qualification for a try dive?
No. You just fill in the health questionnaire and, by law, you're accompanied by an instructor who looks after only you for the whole dive.
From what age can you dive in Tenerife?
From age 8. At 8–9 the maximum depth is 6 m, at 10–11 it's 12 m and at 12–15 it's 21 m.
Is dive insurance compulsory?
Yes, every recreational diver must have accident and third-party liability cover. If you don't have it, a day's insurance costs about €9 at the centre itself.
Where is the best diving in Tenerife for beginners?
In the sheltered, shallow coves of the south and south-west, such as El Puertito de Adeje (6 m on average, no current) or Montaña Amarilla at Las Galletas. The Cueva de los Cerebros is rated advanced and isn't for beginners.
