El Bajon del Rio

El Bajón del Río — the Drop of the Channel — is an advanced dive in the northern reach of Fuerteventura, near the El Rio strait that separates the island from Lanzarote to the north. This channel is one of the most productive and current-influenced bodies of water in the Canary Islands, the tidal flow between two major islands creating the conditions that concentrate marine life and generate the kind of pelagic encounters that make current diving both demanding and genuinely spectacular. The El Rio channel is not technically a river — 'río' here refers to the strong tidal flow that passes through the strait with the movement of water masses around and between the islands, creating what feels like a river current in its force and directionality. The drop-off at this site — the bajón that gives it its name — is where this current sweeps over a significant topographic feature, creating the underwater conditions of elevated velocity, upwelling, and concentrated productivity that produce exceptional marine life density. The advanced nature of El Bajón del Río is fully earned. The current through the El Rio channel can be powerful enough to make this an effective drift dive when the tide is running, and the depth at the drop-off reaches into serious technical territory. Planning a dive here around tidal windows, arriving and departing with appropriate current management, and being prepared for the conditions to change during the dive are all requirements that justify the experience level recommended. The wildlife encounters that the channel's productivity delivers are the compensation for these demands. Large schools of Atlantic horse mackerel sweep through the site in tight, fast-moving formations. Amberjack hunt through the channel current with explosive efficiency. The occasional large pelagic — tuna or manta — is possible in the open water of the strait. The drop-off's basalt formations are encrusted with the productive Atlantic community that current-swept rock consistently develops. One of the Canary Islands' most dynamic and rewarding advanced current dives.