Tenerife: La Caleta Bay Scuba Dive with Photos & Diploma

4.91

(141 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was how the wetsuit clung to my arms—kind of awkward, honestly, but it made me laugh. We were at La Caleta bay in Tenerife, sun glinting off the water and a few locals chatting nearby (one guy had this little dog that wouldn’t stop barking at our fins). Our instructor, Marta, handed out masks and gave us this 35-minute intro—she spoke slowly so I didn’t miss anything, even though my nerves kept making me forget which way to breathe.

Getting into the water was colder than I’d expected. The salt hit my lips right away. Marta checked each of us before we went under; she squeezed my shoulder and said “tranquilo”—I guess she could see I was fidgeting. Down below, everything changed. The world got quiet except for my own bubbles. Fish darted past—yellow stripes and these weird little blue ones I can’t name. At one point a ray glided underneath us so close I could see its spots. I tried to wave at Marta but nearly lost my mouthpiece (she laughed through her mask).

We stayed down longer than I thought—time moves differently underwater. When we surfaced, someone from the group said they’d seen an octopus (I missed it, still annoyed about that). Back on shore, we rinsed off while Marta showed us some photos she’d taken—I look ridiculous but proud. She handed out these little diplomas for our “try dive.” It’s just a piece of paper but it felt like something bigger. My hair still smelled like salt hours later.