Lanza

Text and photos WOJCIECH ZGOŁA

Colloquially known as Lanza, the island of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands archipelago, welcomed us very nicely. It was sunny, warm, transparent under the water, tasty and interesting.

The Perfect Diver magazine was invited to dive by the Bonito Diving Lanzarote Diving Center. The Coronavirus changed travel plans for many people in the past year, but we managed to take advantage of the invitation. Lanza is a volcanic island. The sight of cones of different colours, at different times of the day accompanies us every day and it does not matter which way we go. The magic of the lunar ambiance, the lack of vegetation, the landscape untouched by human hand can excite us internally or take us down. Fortunately, we have a vibrant dive in the Atlantic Ocean. All this aura affects us calmingly and clears the mind. It is worth mentioning that the volcanoes in Lanzarote are about 300, and the most eruptions occurred between 1730 and 1736. The last explosion happened in 1824. But take note. In some places, just a few meters below the surface of the earth there is a temperature of 4000°C. Here I will mention that visiting the Timanfaya National Park will help you to see it with your own eyes.

Angel sharks, stingrays, groupers Wrecks

Grottoes

Dolphins and turtles Nudist beaches with a diving spot Museo Atlántico

YES NO RARE

The Bonito Diving Lanzarote Diving Centre has recently been renovated. It got very cosy in it, and the atmosphere we found caused us to want to dive with them. Kasia and Filip were our guardians and guides. By the way, we met some new people with whom we dived throughout the stay. Sometimes we were divided into smaller groups, because Dominika was doing a basic diving course, and Agnieszka and Marcin wanted to see an angel shark. I like almost everything underwater :) It is interesting that in Bonito DL we use 10L cylinders filled with air up to 300 bars. The base is well prepared as for the equipment and logistics. It has its own cars and good connections if you would like to dive from a boat. There is a toilet, a lecture hall, an equipment shop, large couches in the brewing area, water, coffee and tea and even candies.

The walls of the office area are decorat-

ed with beautiful paintings of animals, which can be found here underwater. I would like to add that we have about 200 m to the "home reef". So if we dive from Playa Flamingo, then the team will take the cylinders to the beach, and dressed in wet suits, with a cheerful step we reach the place of entry into the water in 5 minutes.

Believe me, the hot lava in contact with the ocean has created a unique cover of the bottom. In some places you could see how lava moved. There are upheavals, grottoes and walls, and further you come across sand, where you probably always look for an angel shark or a stingray. In smaller holes hide large moray eels, crabs and other animals that lead a night-time

lifestyle. Skilled eyes, in a well-chosen diving mask, will look out seahorses, snails, spider crabs and shrimps. The sand can be black, gray and white. You can find in it a lot in it lizards, flounders and other fish of the bottom zone. From time to time, we also encounter small pieces that camouflage themselves in the surrounding environment. Best months to meet angel sharks? From the end of September to about April. Later it is much harder to see them. It is worth noting that for some time, at the end of the year, counting of these less and less numerous fish takes place, and Bonito Diving Lanzarote participates in the whole action.

The vicinity of Museo Atlántico. For diving we go on a zodiac from the port. We jump in at one place, the guide "guides" us around the exhibits and we emerge in another place. The boat is already waiting for us there. Museo Atlántico is part of Lanzarote’s Centre for Art, Culture and Tourism. It was created to protect nature and experience the unique beauty of the island's landscape. The sculptures were created by Jason de Caires Taylor. The figures and installations are located on sand on an area of 2500 m2. The first works were

submerged in 2016. Museo opened to divers in January 2017. We have 6 different areas underwater, and the creators' goal was to raise issues about natural resources and make us think. It is worth adding that it was conceived ecologically and cement with a neutral pH was used for the construction of the installation. Is it worth diving in Museo Atlántico? If you are already in Lanzarote then yes, it is. However, if you want to fly there to dive, in my opinion it is not. There are places in the world that naturists choose. All in all, it is not known why. Philip took us to a place like this. It is a very interesting diving spot with a difficult descent from the parking lot to the water. The place is called Charco del Palo and indeed there are naked people here, mainly at the age of 70+ but not only. They do not do anything with divers carefully treading on the stones up and down. Maybe it is because they mostly look at their feet. Slipping can be dramatic in its effects.

To dive in Charco del Palo there must be suitable weather conditions connected with wind waves. We had luck. The draft and the unbelievable visibility were reaching over 40 m. Filip can clearly see shapes hidden under the sand. He spotted a torpedo ray for us and 3 sharks. We descended about 38 me-

ters deep, meeting a variety of fish, including rays of different species, barracudas, groupers, flounders and lizardfish. After a longer surface break, we made a second dive here in similar, very good conditions.

WRECKS

Well, there are a few of them. My favourites are in Puerto del Carmen. The departure is from the port on a zodiac. We all sail in masks and take them off just before jumping into the water. There are 9 people in total. The time from boarding the boat to submersion is approximately 5 minutes. There are 2 wrecks here. One at 20 meters and the other at 40 meters. Among the wrecks, you can often find stingrays and even angel sharks. We are lucky and admire two large stingrays. One of them is resting in the wreck, and the other is swimming in the depths. The former ship, the one lying at a depth of 20 m, is skewed and lies on one side. The second wreck, or rather its larger and smaller fragments, are spread over a larger area of the bottom. I remember when I was in Lanzarote for the first

time we met a 1.5 meter long angel shark here. It was lying quietly on the sand, next to the iron parts of the wreckage.

Puerto del Carmen, on the beach side, is a very popular dive site. There are many diving centers here. The equipment is clarified on the concrete part of the quay, and you go down the stairs to the water or from the other side of the house (restaurant) straight from the sandy beach. There is a lot to see here, also for technical divers. Below 40 m deep, we can find, among others, a "shrimp grotto". There is a "cathedral" between 30 and 40 meters deep, where large groupers hang out. Some of them are over a meter long. There are also forkbeards. Coming back "on the sand" we can meet angel sharks, marbled electric rays, stingrays, common eagle rays, stonefish, and in the case of larger lava elevations overgrown with plants, seahorses and spider crabs. Everywhere there are many colourful fish called ornate wrasses, there are oblades, mullets, cuttlefish, sea urchins, trumpetfish and others.

Each time, after successful dives, we return to our starting base of the Bonito Diving Lanzarote Diving Center to rinse and hang up the equipment, quench our thirst, fill out logbooks and chat. Most often we ask for suggestions relating to the recommended restaurant. There are many of them, but it is worth following Kasia and / or Filip's advice, because they have

been living here for some time. And believe me, the cuisine in Lanzarote is such that you lick your fingers! You can even taste the moray eel meat if you like. There are many possibilities. From seafood, through fish, burgers, to vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Something good for everyone. The local starter are potatoes served with red and green sauces. You can order local wine with dinner. Taking a day off from diving, Kasia takes us on a day trip. We visit the Timanfaya National Park, go to Los Hervideros, walk along the beach with sand blacker than soot. The contrast with the white foam of the waves is amazing. We visit el Golfo. It is a wonderful natural bay located west of Yaiza. Nature has created an emerald green lagoon here. It is separated from the blue ocean by a black beach, and above it are towering red-brown rocks. To see it from a height, you need to go up a small hill of once frozen lava. From this place we admire the wonderful, natural colour combination. It is worth coming when the sun illuminates the lagoon. Plus the wind and blue sky. What more could you want?

We want and we are going on. We have lunch in the middle of the island in Teguise, visit the beautiful but very windy Playa de Famara, climb the hills near the northern tip of the island by car to look at the nearby island of La Graciosa. We

also visit Jameos del Agua – volcanic caves with an underground lake. It is home to the endemic and blind albino crab (unidopsis polymorpha). We are going to the wild beaches of Caleta del Majon Blanco, where locals and visitors build oval "nests" using black lava stones. This way, they protect themselves from the wind and sunbathing. A very interesting place with a difficult entry into the water without infrastructure. No toilets or restaurants. Wild and natural, if not for the garbage... After coming back Kasia shows us Arrecife – nothing

special – a place on the ocean side where planes arrive and land. For a moment it seems as if they were falling on you! We end our stay in Lanza with a night dive from Playa Flamingo. The inconspicuous spot surprises us from the very moment of immerLanzarote was sion. We meet large nudibranchs discovered by Lancelotto Ma- – spotted lumpfish that can locello in 1312. grow up to 25 cm in length.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Lanzarote's economy We see golden moray underwent a transformation, but César Manrique – eels in the depths. One the most famous Canarian architect, saved the island from tourist expansion. Lanzarote and we too owe him of them eats cuttlefish the concealing of electrical cables underground. Wires in front of Dominika and poles do not frighten or destroy the natural views of and Kasia. Descending the volcanic mountains up to the horizon. There are also a dozen or so meters no advertising boards on the island, and hotel floor and deep, we admire the room limits have been set and imposed. They cannot be changed. The same goes for the colour of houses, size of a scyllarus. After shutters and doors. Only the island's capital – Ar- a while, we notice a large recife – does not fit into the uniformity of octopus that spends a few the rest. It sticks out and somehow minutes with us. Curious does not fit. at first, finally tired of the presence of a human being, she scurries somewhere between the rocks. There are also small cuttlefish, crabs and red scorpionfish and a lot of sea urchins. The crowning glory of an overnight immersion is the encounter with a 1.5 meter long stingray. And finally, Perfect Diver offers everyone a barbecue to thank you for the great time. The wonderful dives will re-

main in the memory forever, and the atmosphere of the place makes you want to come back and dive in the Atlantic Ocean with Bonito Diving Lanzarote once again. High grade. Organization, punctuality, information and pre-dive briefings, quality of equipment, dive sites and their diversity, proximity to the entrance to the water were copacetic. The downside may be the weather and too high waves to enter the water in a specific place.

Bonito Diving Lanzarote

Av Archipielago 7 • 35580 Playa Blanca • The Canary Islands • Spain +34 649 70 19 96 • www.bonitodiving.com • e-mail: office@bonitodiving.com

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DIVE SITES

Charco del Pal

Depth 0–40 m

Playa Flamingo

Depth 0–18 m Timanfaya Reef

Depth 0–18 m Museo Atlantico

Depth 12 m Veril de Playa Chica

Depth 0–40 m La Catedral

Depth 0–32 m Agujero Azul

Depth 0–35 m

DIVE COURSES

LEARN SCUBA DIVING (SSI Try Scuba, Basic Diver, SSI Scuba Diver, SSI Open Water Diver, SSI Advanced Adventurer, SSI Diver Stress and Rescue)

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KIDS (SSI Scuba Rangers, SSI Open Water Diver, SSI Advanced Adventurer)

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