IslaScuba.com: an independent guide to the islands divers travel to, from the Caribbean to the Coral Triangle.
Away from the tropics, the Atlantic is cooler and its reefs are built mostly from rock rather than coral. The Macaronesian islands off Europe and Africa, which include the Canaries, the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde, are volcanic. Underwater they have lava arches, caves, black sand and drop-offs where open-ocean species pass close to shore.
The western Atlantic is different again. Bermuda has the northernmost coral reefs in the Atlantic, warmed by the Gulf Stream, and the Florida Keys sit on the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Both are famous for shipwrecks, natural and deliberately sunk.
The water temperature is the main thing to plan around. The Canaries and Madeira are mild all year but cooler than the Caribbean, the Azores warm up mainly in summer, and Orkney is cold-water diving, usually in a drysuit.
Island by island
The Canaries are one of Europe's most popular year-round dive destinations. El Hierro, the smallest of the main islands, has the Mar de las Calmas marine reserve near La Restinga, with calm water, volcanic formations and big groupers. Off Lanzarote, the Museo Atlántico is an underwater sculpture museum created by artist Jason deCaires Taylor. Angel sharks, rays and octopus are seen around several islands.
The Azores sit in the middle of the North Atlantic, where deep water comes close to the islands. In summer, divers visit offshore seamounts such as the Princess Alice Bank for schools of mobula rays and pelagic fish, and boats from Pico and Faial run blue shark dives in open water. Whales and dolphins are often seen from the boat.
Madeira's steep volcanic coast drops quickly into deep water. The Garajau marine reserve near Funchal is the island's best-known dive area, with groupers, rays and clear water. Like the Canaries, Madeira can be dived all year.
Bermuda is surrounded by shallow reefs that have wrecked ships for centuries, so the island has a large number of shipwrecks, many in shallow water. Its reefs are the northernmost coral reefs in the Atlantic. Diving is mostly a summer activity, when the water is at its warmest.
The Keys are a chain of islands linked by a single highway, and the reef runs along their ocean side within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo was the first undersea park in the United States and is home to the Christ of the Abyss statue. Two retired US Navy ships, the Spiegel Grove off Key Largo (2002) and the Vandenberg off Key West (2009), were sunk as artificial reefs.
This small volcanic archipelago off north-east Brazil is a marine national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The water is warm and clear, and spinner dolphins, turtles and sharks are often seen. Visitor numbers are controlled and there is an environmental fee.
In June 1919 the German High Seas Fleet was deliberately scuttled in Scapa Flow, the natural harbor in the middle of the Orkney Islands. Most ships were later salvaged, but several large warships remain, including battleships and light cruisers. It is cold, dark diving, often deep, and one of the great wreck destinations in Europe.
The Canaries and Madeira can be dived all year, with the warmest water in late summer and autumn. The Azores season runs mainly from about June to October, when the sea is calmer and the pelagic animals arrive. Bermuda is best from about May to October. The Florida Keys can be dived all year, though winter cold fronts can bring wind and rough seas, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Scapa Flow is mostly dived from spring to autumn.
Pack for cooler water. A 5 mm or 7 mm wetsuit is normal in the Canaries and the Azores for much of the year, with a hood in the cooler months. Our island dive trip planning guide covers exposure protection, flights and insurance. If you would rather stay in warm water, look at Caribbean island scuba diving instead.
Atlantic islands are often easier to reach from Europe than tropical destinations, and many have direct flights from major cities. The diving feels wilder: big swells, deep blue water, and the chance of a pelagic encounter that you would not expect so close to land. For wreck divers, few places match the history of Scapa Flow, Bermuda and the Keys.
Questions
It is cooler than the Caribbean all year, with the warmest water in late summer and early autumn and the coolest in late winter. Most divers wear a 5 mm or 7 mm wetsuit.
Almost all divers use a drysuit at Scapa Flow because the water is cold all year. Drysuit training before the trip is strongly recommended.
Mobula rays gather at offshore seamounts such as the Princess Alice Bank mainly in the summer months. Trips depend on the weather because the seamounts are far offshore.
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