Teaching Scuba Diving in Gran Canaria

 

There is now a new website for lovers of sharks in the Canaries – the Elasmocan site is all about the research done over the last few years into angel sharks by Dr Filip Osear and Dra. Krupskya Narváez, who have both been studying angel sharks since 2006.

Angel Sharks and Diving in Gran Canaria

Being a critically endangered species on the ‘Red List’ means that any encounter with an angel shark (squatina squatina) is a privilege. We don’t know how long they live but estimates of 20-30 years will give them a similar lifeline to other sharks. This means that adults will have almost certainly encountered humans before .. and they are wary of humans and close encounters.

Despite being from 1 to 1.5m long , angel sharks are experts at concealment – they come to a stop and then work themselves down into the sand, and with a final flap of their fins, cover themselves in sand. They are now very difficult to spot, and may remain in this one place resting, and waiting for food to come to them, for many hours. We have had several examples where we see an angel shark one day, and if it is not disturbed, find it in the same place the next day.

So please respect angel sharks! If you find one covered in the sand – please leave it there as it may be digesting a meal or waiting for the next meal to come along. Every dive with an angel shark is a privilege granted by them, so respect their privacy, don’t chase them excessively, and always give them an exit or plenty of space.

Uwe thought he was coming to Gran Canaria for a quiet holiday for his 50th, but his family had other ideas. So after breakfast they took him outside, and waited. When I came at 9.00 and said .. are you ready to go diving he was amazed!
So his birthday treat was a discover scuba dive in El Cabr on a day with great conditions, and he saw a stargazer, a shame-faced crab and cuttlefish as well as all the normal stuff. We could see the beds from several butterfly rays and one from a baby angelshark, but only the beds. He said this is one birthday he will never forget!

We have just got the official notification that the Diving Centre Licence for Davy Jones DIving in Gran Canaria has been extended for another five years. It is now seven years since all dive centres started to wade through the red tape and Spanish bureaucracy, dealing with several different government departments to obtain a range of different official papers following the introduction of Diving Centre Laws in the Canaries.

Having gained approval in 2008, Davy Jones Diving have now been reassessed, re-inspected and reviewed and have obtained the highest level of full licence which covers them for all diver training and dive excursions through to 2018.

The team of Brian, Eduardo, Graham, Marilyn and Brett along with assistants such as Gauthier, Hector and Jorge are keeping up their commitment to safe diving, great excursions and outstanding customer service that has gained them the respect and approval of many different government bodies and local supporters and a string of top class reviews on TripAdvisor.

This evening we found out more about the ‘Archeological wreck’ in Risco Verde. It was studied by underwater archeologists from the Canarian Government last year and is part of a small boat such as a clipper or cutter or coastal trader, probably about 20-25m long. The age of the boat was probably about 150 years old. However it was unusual for so little else to be found (only the keel) and it could be that somehow this struck a reef (say sideways) and got torn off the bottom, but the ship still managed to float and was hauled ashore and then repaired or rotted on the shore. Still the Government plan to preserve the remains insitu, so when you come diving in Gran Canaria we should still be able to show it to you, and tell you more about it.