Marine life in Lanzarote - Part 1 Learn more about the Marine Life in Lanzarote
In Lanzarote we are fortunate to have great weather for diving all year round. Throughout the year we see the marine life changing. We have an awesome selection of fish to see. Some of the marine life you may be lucky to encounter includes: the angel shark, seahorses, various different types of rays including torpedo rays, eagle rays, roughtail stingrays, common stingrays and spiny butterfly rays, scrawled filefish, trumpetfish, octopus, cuttlefish and streaked gurnards – just to name a few! Very occasionally we have sightings of the elusive Manta Rays and Turtles too!
Angel Sharks
The squatina is the latin family name for the angel shark. There are 22 species in the world and half of these are on the critically endangered list. Angel sharks are the second most threatened family after the sawfish. The Canary Islands are the last known area where the squatina squatina angel sharks are regularly encountered.
Size: Males grow between 80-132cm while females grow between 128-169cm.
Time of year to see them: During the winter months (December-April) are the best time to see adult angel sharks in Lanzarote. Recently at the underwater museum we were fortunate to see 5 angel sharks in just 1 dive! For seeing the baby angel sharks the summer months (July-September) is your best opportunity. Regularly being found in the shallows of Playa Chica bay.
Dive sites to find them at: anywhere there is plenty of sand! The dive sites in Playa Blanca are particularly good for finding angel sharks. Also above the top of the Blue Hole is another good spot!
Seahorses
The seahorse also known as hippocampus are another protected specie that can be found in the Canary Islands. Coming in a variety of colours. Commonly we find the yellow and brown but we have also seen beautiful red ones before.
Size: Seahorses can grow up to 15cm.
Time of year to see them: All year round! Before we were just seeing seahorses in summer months. However now we are tending to find them all year round.
Dive sites to find them at: Seahorses tend to be found quite shallow. They are fantastic at camouflaging themselves. Some of the best places to find them in Lanzarote are hiding in the ropes on the Harbour Wall or on the old jet ski platform as you come back up from the House Reef.
Rays
There are a number of rays that can be seen in Lanzarote! The most common ones to see are the Common Stingray, Roughtail Stingray, Eagle Rays and Torpedo Rays. During July, August and September there are some sightings of the spiny butterfly ray – which are beautiful! Also there are occasional sightings of Manta/Devil Rays! However these just show up as and when they want to – there is no particular time of year that you can see them.
Time of year to see them:
- Common Stingrays and Torpedo Rays – All year round
- Roughtail Stingray – August-October
- Eagle Rays – May-October
Dive sites to find them at: Black Beach, Blue Hole, House Reef are great for spotting rays. Also the dive sites in Playa Blanca such as Las Coloradas and El Emisario are particularly good for finding rays.
