Whenever I Dive in Tenerife, one of my favourite Tenerife dive sites has to be the wreck of an old cement ship that was sunk in the early 70’s just around the corner from Las Galletas towards Palm Mar by the light house. It’s called El Condesito.

This is a really good dive site not just for novices but also for more experienced divers and photographers alike as there is an abundance of marine life from Pipe fish to Morays.

The story of El Condesito, is a little sketchy, it was a 40m Cement Barge that sank around the early 70’s. It was (allegedly) Christmas Day and the story goes that the Captain was full of the Christmas Cheer and the ship ran aground about 50m from the Punta Rasca Light House, thankfully, no lives were lost and the ship now lies in around 18m of water, with its highest point at only 6m.

The Hull, Engine Room and Cabin are intact, however the Bow has been torn away and the ship can be penetrated from many entry points. This dive is considered by many to be relatively safe and therefore suitable for all levels of divers. All around the site are white solid ‘stones’ these are the now solidified bags of cement.

There is also a 36m drop off just a short fin away from El Condesito which is often done by the more experienced divers who would like to see the famous Black Coral; they then ascend to El Condesito to ‘off gas’ whilst having a leisurely bimble around the ship.

If you would like more information about El Condesito or indeed diving in Tenerife, contact either Chris or Sarah Barlow-Smith of Tenerife Scuba, they will be more than happy to show you this and other Tenerife dive sites.