El Puertito

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Overview

El Puertito (officially Puertito de Armeñime) is a small, traditional fishing village located on the southwest coast of Tenerife, nestled between the major tourist hubs of Costa Adeje and Playa San Juan. The dive site is situated directly within the village’s sheltered, semi-circular bay. The underwater topography consists of a gently sloping sandy bottom interspersed with low-lying volcanic rock formations and patches of seagrass.

Because the bay is highly protected from the prevailing Atlantic swells and trade winds, it offers some of the calmest diving conditions on the island. The maximum depth within the bay rarely exceeds 15 meters (50 feet), with the most interesting activity generally occurring between 5 and 10 meters. Due to these benign conditions, El Puertito is heavily utilized by local dive centers for conducting the confined water and initial open water dives of the open water course. For novices looking for the best places to learn basic scuba skills in a safe, pool-like open ocean environment, this bay is highly practical.

The Dive Experience

Diving at El Puertito is exceptionally relaxed. The site can be accessed either as a shore dive directly from the village’s small sandy beach or via a short speedboat (RIB) ride from the larger marinas in Puerto Colón or Las Galletas.

Once underwater, the absence of current allows divers to move at a very slow pace, extending bottom times significantly. Because the dive is shallow and slow-paced, divers must prioritize thermal protection. As outlined in standard travel and packing guides for the Canary Islands, a 5mm or 7mm wetsuit is highly recommended, as Atlantic water temperatures in the winter and spring can drop to 19°C (66°F).

What You’ll See

Historically, El Puertito gained immense popularity within the European diving community due to a resident population of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). These turtles became habituated to human presence, offering incredibly close encounters. However, due to over-tourism and inappropriate feeding practices by unregulated operators in the past, local authorities and marine conservation groups have heavily restricted interaction. While turtles are still present and occasionally sighted feeding on the seagrass, encounters are no longer guaranteed, and strict “no-touch, no-feed” policies are enforced to protect the animals.

Beyond the turtles, the bay supports a healthy variety of standard Canary Island marine life. The sandy bottom is a prime habitat for common stingrays and the occasional butterfly ray. The volcanic rocks along the edges of the bay provide shelter for octopuses, cuttlefish, and moray eels. Small schools of ornate wrasse and damselfish are ubiquitous throughout the shallow rocky areas.

Planning Your Dive

Because of its sheltered nature, El Puertito is diveable year-round, even when offshore conditions are rough. However, due to its popularity as a training site and a destination for snorkeling tours, the bay can become crowded during the peak European summer holiday season. Divers should remain highly aware of boat traffic upon ascent and should always utilize a surface marker buoy (SMB) if surfacing away from the shoreline or the dive boat’s immediate vicinity.