Top Ten Spain Classic Adventures

Dive the Canary Islands
By Miles Roddis

El Hierro may be the smallest and least visited of Spain's Canary Islands, but for divers it's Spain's premier destination. The tiny volcanic island was the world's end for Europeans until Columbus "discovered" the Americas. Nowadays, you can swim with the divers who trawl the waters off its southern tip and discover for yourself its underwater charms. Here, where rivers of petrified lava flow into the sea, is the offshore Reserva Marina de la Punta Restinga, a protected marine park where the shelf drops a dizzying 1,650 feet a mere 650 feet offshore. Bring your camera: The village of La Restinga, which has four diving schools waiting to take you out, plays host annually to Fotosub, one of the world's major underwater photography competitions.


Published: 30 Apr 2002 | Last Updated: 15 Sep 2010
Details mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication

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