Playa Chica is a small sandy cove in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, where a reef wall begins at around 5m just off the beach and drops past 40m, with open water beyond falling well past 100m. That is what makes it a freediving landmark: you walk in from the sand and hang a deep line without ever boarding a boat. Visibility holds around 20-30m year-round, and the water sits near 18C in winter and climbs to 21-24C from June to November. In 2026 it remains a winter training base for European freedivers served by a cluster of AIDA and SSI schools, and it is still the busiest scuba site on the island, so the water is shared.
Shore entry on foot to a reef wall that starts at 5m and falls past 40m - a rare setup where deep lines are reachable without a boat
The drop-off beyond the reef, reported anywhere from 100m to over 150m, where schools moor their buoys and training lines
Terrain features such as the Blue Hole (roof around 18m, floor around 30m) and the Cathedral (a large cavern near 30m) - features to look down into, not to swim through on a breath-hold
A small wreck at roughly 12m and the orange coral walls toward Waikiki and Playa Grande
Angel sharks (the Canaries are one of their last global strongholds, mostly winter into spring), giant grouper, barracuda schools, rays, octopus and seahorses
The lowest rainfall in the Canaries, which keeps the training season running straight through winter
Good to know
SafetyNever train alone here, under any circumstances. Deep sessions require a dedicated one-to-one safety diver, a lanyard and counterballast rigged before you dive. Shallow water blackout and LMC cluster in the final 10m before the surface and arrive without warning - the safety diver meeting you through that last stretch is the non-negotiable part of the setup.
SafetyBoat strikes have killed people in this exact area. On 26 September 2024 a 41-year-old French freediver was struck and killed by an inflatable boat near El Poril / La Tinosa harbour in Puerto del Carmen while displaying both a warning flag and an orange surface buoy; a scuba diver died at Playa Chica the same day. A buoy and alpha flag are the minimum, not protection - look up and scan the surface on every ascent, and never set a line across the harbour approach.
SafetyThe Cathedral, the Blue Hole and the Shrimp Cave are overhead environments built for scuba teams with lights and redundant gas. The moment a freediver commits to a penetration on a single breath, the exit stops being optional. Do not swim through them - view them from outside the entrance.
RulesGuided freediving sessions here typically require at least a Level 1 certification (AIDA, SSI or equivalent) and a minimum age of 16, and access to the deep line usually demands a higher grade or an in-water assessment. Standard travel insurance often excludes apnea, so check for a specific rider. Requirements vary by centre and change - confirm the current terms before you book.
SeasonWinter water (December to March) runs 18-19C. Even in a 5mm suit, long sessions bleed heat, and being cold feeds straight into failed equalisation and poor judgement. On days with strong trade winds a surface current builds and pushes the line, so do not descend without a lanyard clipped.
MannersPlaya Chica is the most crowded dive site on Lanzarote, with centres running group entries around 09:00, 11:30 and 15:00. Work outside those windows and set your line clear of scuba traffic; the narrow beach steps and kitting-up space are shared too. Angel sharks and octopus are protected - no touching, no chasing, no close-range flash.
CautionBe wary of cheap deep sessions that amount to renting a line. An operator charging buoy access without assigning a safety diver is not running a course, and an incident on that basis will likely void your cover. Confirm in writing that the centre is a registered AIDA or SSI facility, that a named safety diver is assigned to you, and that oxygen is on site.
Practical info
Arrecife (ACE) is the island airport, reached via European hubs such as Madrid or Barcelona rather than any direct long-haul from Asia, and Puerto del Carmen is roughly a 15-minute drive from arrivals. The site is a shore entry, so no boat booking is strictly needed, but deep line sessions are pre-booked and slots go quickly from June to November when temperature and visibility peak. Prices, opening hours, certification requirements and whether a safety diver is actually assigned differ by centre and change often, so confirm the current details directly with the operator before booking.
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