Canary Islands
UK/Europe
Spain
£2.50
Canary Islands: The Angel Shark Capital
The Canary Islands are basically Europe’s answer to Hawaii—a volcanic playground that offers year-round sunshine and some of the clearest water in the Atlantic. This archipelago is famous for its dramatic underwater topography, where ancient lava flows have created massive arches, caves, and basalt columns that look like they belong on another planet. But the real reason divers flock here is for a creature that is critically endangered almost everywhere else on Earth. The Canaries are the last great stronghold of the Angel Shark, making this the number one place in the world to see these unique, flat sharks in the wild.
Why We Chose This Sticker Design
We couldn't design this sticker without the "sand devil" itself. The Angel Shark is the undisputed star of the Canaries, so we illustrated one resting on the sandy bottom, showcasing how they perfectly blend into the sediment. To capture the rugged, wild atmosphere of the islands, we framed the shark against jagged, dark volcanic rock formations that define the region's seascape. We also added a school of Barracuda patrolling the blue to hint at the pelagic life that loves these Atlantic currents.
Diving Canary Islands
The Canaries are Europe's year-round dive destination — water that never drops below about 18°C, visibility in the twenties and thirties, and volcanic terrain of arches, lava tubes and black sand that looks like nowhere else in Europe. The islands are also the last global stronghold of the angel shark, a critically endangered flat-bodied shark that has disappeared from most of its former range but is still reliably found here, half-buried in sandy bays through the winter months. Lanzarote adds the Museo Atlántico, Europe's first underwater sculpture museum, where Jason deCaires Taylor's cast figures stand in ranks at around thirteen metres. El Hierro's Mar de las Calmas reserve has the clearest water in the archipelago. It is easy, accessible diving with a genuine conservation story attached.
- Best time to dive
- Year-round; angel sharks are most reliable November to March
- Difficulty
- Beginner to intermediate
- Water temperature
- 18–24°C — a 5mm is comfortable year-round
- Visibility
- 20–30m
Top dive sites
- •Museo Atlántico, Lanzarote — Underwater sculpture museum at around 13m
- •Mar de las Calmas, El Hierro — The clearest water in the Canaries
- •Radazul & Tabaiba, Tenerife — Easy shore dives, good for angel sharks
- •El Cabrón, Gran Canaria — Marine reserve with arches and gullies
- •Playa Chica, Lanzarote — Shore entry onto a wall dropping past 40m
What you’ll see
Frequently asked questions
When can I see angel sharks in the Canary Islands?
The Canaries are the last reliable stronghold in the world for the critically endangered angel shark, and the best months are generally November through March, when they move into shallow sandy bays. They lie half-buried and motionless, so sightings depend on a guide who knows where to look rather than on luck. Shore dives on Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria all produce encounters. Do not touch or crowd them — this is one of the few remaining populations, and disturbance in shallow breeding habitat is a genuine conservation concern.
Can you dive the Canary Islands all year?
Yes, and that is the archipelago's biggest selling point for European divers. Water temperature ranges only from about 18°C in late winter to 24°C at the end of summer, so a 5mm works year-round and there is no closed season. Winter brings slightly bigger Atlantic swell, which can shut exposed sites for a day or two, but the islands are shaped so there is almost always a sheltered coast. Winter is also angel shark season, so the cooler months are arguably the more interesting time to visit.
What is the Museo Atlántico?
Europe's first underwater sculpture museum, installed off Playa Blanca in Lanzarote and opened in 2016. It holds around three hundred cast concrete figures by the artist Jason deCaires Taylor, arranged in tableaux — a group walking towards a wall, a raft of figures, a boat — sitting at roughly twelve to fourteen metres on sand. The pieces double as an artificial reef and have been colonised by marine life. It is a shallow, easy dive suitable for newer divers, and it photographs like nothing else in European water.
