Snorkelling in Gran Canaria — Best Spots & Guided Tours
Explore the ocean while snorkelling in Gran Canaria! Safe, fun & perfect for all ages.
Guided Snorkelling in Gran Canaria — Walk In From the Beach
Join us at Puerto Rico Diving for a relaxed, guided snorkelling trip! See octopus, parrotfish and volcanic reefs in the warm, calm waters of southern Gran Canaria. Our PADI-certified guides take you to the best spots — no boat, no experience, no stress. Just bring swimwear and a towel.
- Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours
- Minimum Age: 8+
- Includes: Mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit
- Guided by: PADI-certified instructors
- Languages: English, Spanish, French and Italian
- Availability: Twice Weekly, all year round
- Small groups, calm conditions, shallow entry
Our Guided Snorkelling Trips
Snorkel Trip
Enjoy a guided snorkel safari from the shore in the calm, clear waters of Gran Canaria. Perfect for all the family to enjoy the ocean together.
- Duration: 1.5-2 Hours
- Minimum Age: 8 years old
Includes full equipment hire and in-water guide
€55
Discover Snorkel & Scuba Diving
Explore the ocean from both above and below the surface with a guided snorkel tour plus a Try Scuba Diving experience.
- Duration: 4 Hours
- Minimum Age: 10 years old
- Maximum Depth: 12 Metres
Includes full equipment hire, scuba diving insurance and in-water guide.
€125
Where We Go Snorkelling in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria has more good snorkelling spots than most people expect. We pick our location each morning based on the weather and sea conditions, but here are the sites we visit most often — and a few you can reach on your own if you want to spend a free day in the water.
Puerto de Mogán
Puerto de Mogán is another great beginner-friendly location. The protected bay keeps the sea calmer than many open beaches, and the gradual entry makes it easy to stay in shallow water. The water is clear, the entry is easy, and once you’re in you’ll spot, cuttlefish, parrotfish, and damselfish moving through the rocky bottom. You can swim along the shoreline toward the small caves if you’re feeling confident. Mogán is more protected from the wind than most spots on the south coast, so it’s a reliable option when conditions elsewhere aren’t great.
Risco Verde
A small beach near Arinaga with easy access and shallow water. Risco Verde is popular with families because the current is gentle and the route along the reef is straightforward — you can follow it out and back without getting disoriented. The mix of reef, sandy bottom, and rock platform means there’s a good variety of life in a small area. Wrasse, bream, damselfish, and occasional cuttlefish are the regulars here.
Tufia
Tufia is a small volcanic bay known for its calm conditions and clear water. It’s a favourite for relaxed snorkelling away from the busier tourist beaches. Most snorkelling takes place between 2 and 7 metres deep. You’ll often find bream, damselfish, lizardfish, octopus, and plenty of small reef species around the lava rock formations. The seabed is covered in marine life, and you’ll often have the water almost to yourself.vThe sheltered shape of the bay helps keep conditions comfortable for beginners.
Playa del Cabrón
This is widely considered the best snorkelling site on the island — and it earns that reputation. Playa del Cabrón sits inside the Arinaga Marine Reserve on the east coast, about 40 minutes from Puerto Rico by car. The biodiversity here is on another level: over 400 documented fish species live in this reef system. You’ll see trumpet fish, barracuda, moray eels, parrotfish, and if you’re lucky, angel sharks resting on the sandy bottom. The water depth ranges from 1 to 6 metres depending on where you swim, and there are both shallow areas for beginners and deeper sections for more confident snorkellers. The beach itself is sandy, which is a nice bonus — many snorkelling sites here are rocky. Access is down a dusty track, so it’s not the easiest to reach, but it’s worth every bump in the road.
How Your Snorkelling Trip Works
Hotel pickup — We collect you free of charge from Puerto Rico, Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, Arguineguín or Puerto de Mogán.
Briefing & equipment — At the beach, your guide fits you with a wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins. They’ll show you how to clear your mask, breathe through the snorkel, and use basic hand signals.
In the water — You walk in from the shore together. Your guide stays with you the whole time, pointing out marine life and making sure you’re comfortable.
Back on dry land — Dry off and ask questions about what you’ve seen. After we will drop you back at your hotel.
Marine Life on Your Snorkelling Trip
Gran Canaria sits where the Atlantic meets volcanic reef, creating rich feeding grounds close to shore. In just 1-3 metres of water you can expect to see ornate wrasse darting between rocks, parrotfish grazing on algae, octopus tucked into crevices, and cuttlefish hovering in open water. Starfish cling to the rocky bottom and trumpet fish hang vertically, camouflaged against the reef.
Between December and April, angel sharks — a critically endangered species — rest on the sandy patches between reef formations. Our guides know exactly where to look.
Who's Taking You Snorkelling?
Every snorkelling trip is led by one of our PADI-certified instructors — the same team who teach our scuba courses. Mike, Holly and Marion between them have guided thousands of people into the water across Gran Canaria, from nervous first-timers to families with young children. You’re not getting a summer intern with a whistle — you’re getting professionals who know every rock, every current, and every octopus den on these reefs.
Why snorkel with us at Puerto Rico Diving?
- Easy Shore Access: No boats, no hassle—walk straight in from the beach
- Professional Guides: PADI pros make sure you feel confident and safe
- Great Conditions: Warm, calm water year-round
- Optional Photos Available: Capture your snorkel memories (ask us!)
- Perfect for Beginners, Kids & Families
- Relaxed & Safe Environment – No pressure, no rushing
- Over 1500 five-star reviews on Trip Advisor & Google
What Out Guests Say…
★★★★★
Great snorkelling experience
Highly recommend Puerto Rico Diving. Contacted company re snorkeling and had quick reply back. Was picked up by Mike from our hotel and we were really lucky as just my daughter and I. Fantastic snorkelling experience. Saw lots of fish, crabs and two octopus! Mike was a great guide. To top
it off he took lots of photos and emailed to me after
626sashag- Trip Advisor
Guided Snorkelling FAQs
Gran Canaria is one of the few places in Europe where you can snorkel comfortably all year round. Water temperatures range from around 18°C in winter to 23°C in summer, and the southern coast where we operate is sheltered from the prevailing northerly winds — meaning calm, clear conditions on most days. Visibility is typically 10 to 20 metres. Summer months (June to September) are the warmest and calmest, but winter has its own appeal — between December and April you have a good chance of spotting angel sharks resting on the sandy bottom, a critically endangered species that favours Gran Canaria’s waters during the cooler months.
Gran Canaria sits where the Atlantic meets volcanic reef, creating rich feeding grounds close to shore. In just 1 to 3 metres of water you can expect to see ornate wrasse, parrotfish grazing on algae, damselfish schooling above the rocks, and trumpet fish hanging vertically against the reef. Octopus are common — tucked into crevices in the volcanic rock — and cuttlefish are often spotted hovering in open water. Starfish cling to the rocky bottom and colourful sea slugs (nudibranchs) crawl across the reef surface. Between December and April, angel sharks rest on the sandy patches between reef formations. Our guides know exactly where to look and will point out species throughout your trip.
You do not need to be a strong swimmer. Unlike swimming, snorkelling uses fins for propulsion and a wetsuit that provides natural buoyancy — so you float on the surface with very little effort. Your guide stays with you in the water the entire time and will help you feel comfortable before moving to the reef. Most of the snorkelling takes place in just 1 to 3 metres of calm, sheltered water where you can see the bottom clearly at all times. If you have any concerns about water confidence, let us know when booking and we will take extra time with your introduction.
Yes — children aged 8 and over are welcome on our guided snorkelling trips. We use child-sized masks and fins fitted by our team before entering the water, and we keep group sizes small so every child gets individual attention from the guide. The snorkelling takes place in shallow, calm water on the sheltered southern coast of Gran Canaria, and children are never out of arm’s reach of the guide. Many families choose our snorkelling trip specifically because it lets the whole family enjoy the ocean together — parents and children snorkelling side by side.
Everything you need is included in the €55 price. We provide a wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins fitted to you by our team, plus the services of a PADI-certified guide who stays with you in the water throughout the trip. Free hotel pickup and drop-off is included for guests staying anywhere across the south of Gran Canaria — Puerto Rico, Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, Arguineguín, San Agustín, Meloneras and Puerto de Mogán. There are no hidden extras. Just bring swimwear and a towel.
Yes — a full wetsuit is included with every snorkelling trip at no extra charge. The wetsuit keeps you warm, protects your skin, and provides additional buoyancy that makes floating on the surface easier. We carry a full range of adult and child sizes and our team will fit your wetsuit before you enter the water. You will also be provided with a mask, snorkel and fins — all included in the price.
Yes — our Snorkelling + Try Scuba Diving combo lets you experience Gran Canaria’s marine life from both above and below the surface in a single session. You start with a guided snorkelling trip, then your instructor gives you a full scuba briefing, fits you with diving equipment and takes you for a guided underwater experience to a depth of up to 12 metres. The whole session lasts around 4 hours and costs €125 including all equipment and DAN diving insurance. Minimum age for the scuba portion is 10 years. No previous experience of any kind is required.
Safety always comes first. If sea conditions are not suitable for snorkelling on your booked day, we will contact you in advance and offer to reschedule to another day during your stay. Because we use multiple sites across Gran Canaria, we can often move to a more sheltered location rather than cancel entirely. The southern coast is protected from the prevailing winds, so cancellations due to weather are rare — but when they happen, we always offer a full reschedule or refund.
Snorkelling keeps you on the surface — you float face-down breathing through a snorkel tube while watching the marine life below. No certification, training or previous experience is needed and it is suitable from age 8. Scuba diving uses a tank and regulator to let you breathe underwater and swim amongst the marine life at depth. A Try Dive with us requires no certification and takes you to 6–8 metres with a PADI instructor by your side throughout. Many of our guests start with a snorkelling trip and enjoy it so much they try scuba diving the next day — the marine life in Gran Canaria looks even more spectacular up close.
Tips for First-Time Snorkellers
If you’ve never snorkelled before, here are a few things our instructors tell every first-timer, they’ll make the difference between struggling and actually enjoying yourself.
Defog your mask before you get in. Spray defog liquid on the inside of the lens, rub it around with your finger, and give it a quick rinse in the sea. If you skip this step, your mask will fog up within minutes and you’ll spend the whole time wiping it instead of watching fish.
Breathe slowly and steadily through your mouth. The most common mistake is breathing too fast. You’re floating on the surface, there’s no rush. Slow, deep breaths through the snorkel. If a small amount of water gets in, don’t panic, just blow out sharply through the snorkel to clear it.
Don’t fight the water. If you get tired, just stop. Roll onto your back, float, catch your breath. The wetsuit keeps you buoyant, so you’re not going to sink. There’s no race. The fish aren’t going anywhere.
Keep your fins underwater. Splashing on the surface scares the fish away and wastes your energy. Slow, relaxed kicks from the hip, not the knee, are all you need. The less you move, the more you’ll see.
Free Pickup from the South of Gran Canaria
For all customers staying across the south of Gran Canaria we offer free hotel pickup and drop-off , including Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, Puerto Rico, San Agustín, Arguineguín, Playa de Mogán, Taurito, Playa del Cura, Anfi del Mar. If you prefer to make your own way to us, there is parking available on near the dive center. If not we can meet directly at the snorkelling location.
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