The Eastern Canary Islands
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Diving, trekking, sightseeing in the Archipelago of Diversity.
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Graciosa island (Click for the gallery)
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The main tourist areas in the islands are in the sunny and dry southern and eastern shore. It's the typical situation in most of the Canary Islands, because the huge hills (there are some of the highest peaks of Spain in these tiny islands!) split them so it's not unusual to see heavy rains in the north while the holidaymakers are sunbathing in the south. And there are many holidaymakers, doesn't matter if it's winter or summer. The reason is simple: the climate is ideal in any period of the year. In the winter you can expect 19-25 Celsius degrees and in the summer 24-30 degrees.
There aren’t big differences between the winter and summer conditions in the sea as well. The temperature of the Atlantic at the islands can be between 19-25 Celsius degrees, depends on the season and the island. That means a dive in December much more comfortable here than in the Mediterranean. The temperature is nearly the same at the surface and in 30 meters depth. Sometimes the ocean can be choppy and if the conditions are dangerous, diving is possible only in the protected bays. There are many shore dive places in all of the islands, because of the steep underwater slope you don’t have to spend the whole dive in the very shallow. Usually you can expect 15-20 meters visibility, but on windy days it’s worse.
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Maspalomas (Click for the gallery)
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The main difference between the eastern and western islands’ climate is the humidity, especially the two easternmost islands, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are dry. The administrative center, Gran Canaria has a little bit of everything: this round shaped, 50 kilometers wide island is similar to a tiny continent. Huge hills in the middle (the Pico de Las Nieves is 1949 meters high), breathtaking rocky seashores in the north, rich vegetation in the east and sand dunes in the south- you can see at least four different faces of the island during a daytrip. If you visit it don’t miss the mini Sahara at Maspalomas or the breathtaking views of the western side. Those who keen to see what lies beneath the surface won’t be disappointed neither. There are smaller and larger wrecks, shore and boat dives, caverns, angel sharks, devil rays, tiger morays, huge shoals of fish. I think it's easy to agree, Gran Canaria must be the place for those who want to visit only one island of the archipelago. It's popular and crowded but there are plenty of car rental offices, elegant hotels and simple apartments, restaurants and shops - you'll find everything you need.
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(average: 3) mild conditions 
