Angel Sharks in the Canary Islands: Where and When to Dive
Where and When to See Angel Sharks in the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands are the best place in the world for divers to see the critically endangered angel shark (Squatina squatina). Sightings are possible around every island, but the most reliable encounters happen over shallow sandy bottoms off Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura, roughly from late autumn through spring. In the cooler months, angel sharks move onto sand flats in as little as 5–20 metres of water, which puts them within easy reach of ordinary recreational dives — sometimes even shore dives.
That sentence would have sounded absurd a few decades ago. Angel sharks were once common across the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, and they have vanished from most of that former range. The Canaries are now widely regarded as their last real stronghold. Diving with one here is not just a tick on a wish list; it is a genuinely rare wildlife encounter that comes with real responsibility.
This guide covers what angel sharks are, where your odds are best, when to go, how to behave around them, and the honest answer to the question everyone asks: are they dangerous?
What Is an Angel Shark?
An angel shark is a flat-bodied, bottom-dwelling shark that looks more like a ray than a "classic" shark. The species divers see in the Canaries is almost always the common angel shark, Squatina squatina, which typically reaches around 1.5 to 2 metres in length. Its broad pectoral fins spread out like wings — hence the name — and its mottled sandy colouring is near-perfect camouflage against the volcanic-island sand it rests on.
Angel sharks are ambush predators. They bury themselves in sand with only their eyes and the outline of their body visible, then wait — sometimes for days — for a fish, cuttlefish, or crustacean to pass overhead. The strike is astonishingly fast; everything else about the animal is slow and still. That stillness is exactly what makes them such rewarding dive encounters: a settled angel shark will usually tolerate calm, respectful observation from a short distance.
Two rarer relatives, the sawback angelshark and the smoothback angelshark, also occur in Canarian waters, but recreational divers are overwhelmingly likely to be looking at S. squatina.
Key facts at a glance:
- Family: Squatinidae — flattened, ray-like sharks
- Typical size: around 1.5–2 m
- Habitat: sandy and muddy bottoms, often adjacent to reef or rock
- Behaviour: buried in sand by day, actively hunting mostly at night
- Status: Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and legally protected in Spain — it is illegal to fish for, retain, or deliberately disturb them
Where to See Angel Sharks: Island by Island
Angel sharks turn up around the whole archipelago, but some islands offer far more consistent encounters than others. The pattern is simple: look for sheltered bays with clean sand flats at recreational depths, close to reef edges where prey concentrates.
| Island | Reliability | Typical setting |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzarote | Excellent — the classic choice | Sandy slopes off Puerto del Carmen, often on easy shore-accessible dives |
| Gran Canaria | Very good | Sand flats off the southeast coast, frequently at gentle depths |
| Tenerife | Good | Sandy bays along the south and southwest coasts |
| Fuerteventura | Good | Extensive sand bottoms, sightings across many sites |
| El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera | Occasional | More volcanic rock than sand, so encounters are less predictable |
Lanzarote: The Angel Shark Capital
If seeing an angel shark is the main goal of your trip, Lanzarote is the strongest single bet. The sandy slopes around Puerto del Carmen — including famously easy shore-entry sites — produce sightings with a regularity that is hard to match anywhere else on Earth. In season, local guides often know where individual animals have been settling, and it is not unusual to see more than one on a single dive. The diving itself is friendly to newer divers: clear water, modest depths, simple entries.
Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura
Gran Canaria's sheltered southeastern bays are another well-known hotspot, with angel sharks resting on sand in comfortably shallow water through the cooler months. Tenerife's southern coast offers regular seasonal sightings on sandy bays that also host rays and garden eels, and Fuerteventura's long sand bottoms suit the species well. On all three islands the formula is the same: dive the sand, not just the reef, and scan carefully — a buried angel shark is easy to swim straight past.
If you are still choosing a destination, our comparison of the best Canary Island for diving weighs angel shark odds against everything else each island offers.
Angel Shark Season: When to Go
Angel shark encounters in the Canaries follow a clear seasonal rhythm.
- Late autumn to spring (roughly November to April): the prime window. Adults move onto shallow sandy areas, and this is when divers see them most often and most easily. Winter is widely considered the peak.
- Summer: adult sightings at recreational depths become less common as many animals move deeper or disperse, though encounters never drop to zero. Shallow sandy bays can still hold juveniles — tiny, perfectly formed angel sharks the size of a dinner plate — because the islands' sheltered bays act as nursery grounds.
Nothing about wild animals is guaranteed, and a single week can defy the averages in either direction. But if you are building a trip around this species, the cooler half of the year is clearly the time. Water temperatures are at their lowest then — this is thicker-wetsuit season — so it is worth reading our month-by-month guide to the best time to dive the Canary Islands before you book.
Are Angel Sharks Dangerous?
No — angel sharks are not dangerous to divers who leave them alone. They are ambush predators of fish and invertebrates, not large animals, and they have no interest in humans. Divers pass within a few metres of resting angel sharks on thousands of dives every season without incident.
The honest caveat: an angel shark that is grabbed, cornered, or harassed can snap defensively, and its jaws are fast and well-toothed. Historic accounts of "bites" almost always involve people handling or provoking the animal. The rule is the same one that applies to all marine life, just with sharper consequences: keep your distance, keep your hands to yourself, and the risk to you is effectively nil. The animal, meanwhile, has far more to fear from us than we do from it.
How to Dive Responsibly With Angel Sharks
Because this is a critically endangered species in its last stronghold, how you behave around one matters. Researchers and conservation groups working in the islands promote a simple code of conduct, and good local operators brief it before angel shark dives:
- Never touch, chase, or try to uncover a buried angel shark. Disturbing a protected species is both harmful and illegal.
- Approach slowly from the side, staying low and calm; avoid swimming directly over the animal or blocking its escape route.
- Keep a respectful distance — a couple of metres is close enough for a great look and a great photo.
- Watch your fins and buoyancy over sand so you do not dust the animal or wreck visibility for everyone behind you.
- Limit flash photography and keep camera time short; if the shark lifts its head or starts to unbury, back off — you have overstayed.
- Report sightings to your dive centre. Diver records genuinely help the scientific monitoring effort in the islands.
None of this diminishes the encounter. A settled angel shark observed calmly may not move at all, and watching one melt back into the sand after a slow, respectful pass is one of the great sights in Atlantic diving.
Why the Canaries Matter: Conservation in Brief
The common angel shark's story elsewhere is bleak: slow-growing, late-maturing, and bottom-dwelling, it was devastated by decades of trawling and coastal fishing pressure across Europe. It is now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and protected under Spanish law, and dedicated research projects in the Canaries study and monitor the population that remains.
That is what makes diving here special. The Canaries did not merely keep some angel sharks — they kept a functioning population, with nursery bays full of juveniles and adults that divers can still meet on an easy morning dive. Every respectful encounter, and every sighting reported, is a small contribution to keeping it that way.
For more on the archipelago's other residents — rays, morays, barracuda, and the rest of the volcanic-reef cast — browse our marine life guides.