El Fraile

El Fraile — the Friar — takes its name from a distinctive rock formation whose shape suggests the cowled figure of a monk in popular local imagination. Underwater, the site has a character befitting its dramatic name: an advanced dive in the exposed Atlantic waters of La Palma's western coast, where depth, current, and the volcanic topography combine to create a challenging and rewarding experience for experienced divers. The site sits where the island's volcanic flanks plunge directly into deep Atlantic water. The basalt formations here are more dramatic than at sheltered sites: vertical walls, deep crevices, and the kind of imposing geography that only forms where volcanic eruption meets open ocean. The descent from the surface moves quickly through a shallow zone of encrusted basalt into increasingly dramatic topography at depth, with the wall face decorated in rich Atlantic encrusting organisms — dense sponge communities, anemone carpets, and the black and red coralline algae that give Canary Islands rocks their distinctive appearance. The advanced rating is well earned. Current at this exposed site can be significant, particularly when the trade winds are active, and the depth range pushes into territory requiring solid air management and experience. The reward is access to the larger fauna that these conditions attract: Atlantic eagle rays patrolling the wall face, large amberjack hunting in fast-moving schools, and the possibility of blue shark encounters in open water beyond the site's outer edge. At depth, the volcanic rock architecture becomes increasingly impressive. Fissures and overhangs provide habitat for large moray eels, and the great barracuda that cruise La Palma's deeper waters are a regular feature below twenty metres. The black, austere volcanic rock contrasts beautifully with the coloured encrusting life, creating a visual aesthetic quite distinct from tropical reef diving. Advanced divers seeking raw Atlantic character, impressive volcanic geography, and the kind of wildlife encounters that exposed, productive waters generate will find El Fraile a genuinely memorable dive on one of the Canaries' most dramatic coastlines.