Amongst surfers, the Canary Islands are known as the Hawaii of the Atlantic Ocean. Like Hawaii, the water and air temperatures do not vary much through the year which makes surfing in Tenerife a great experience.
Surfing in Tenerife
Student Activities
Activities organised by the school
As well as a wide range of cultural activities, visits and excursions, students in Puerto de la Cruz can also attend specific "plus" courses, such as Salsa dancing or additional cultural classes. The school offers a free hour of cultural class every afternoon 13.00-14.00.
Other activities organised by the school include:
• Spanish songs
• Cinema/films
• Welcome dinner for new students
• Course in Spanish history
• Pronunciación
• Spanish dance, i.e tango, salsa
Other activities
Kite and windsurfing
El Médano in the southeast corner of Tenerife (about one hour by car from Puerto de la Cruz) is a great place for wind and kite surfing. The 2002 double World Champion Mark Shinn is one of the kite surfers who has settled in El Médano. Conditions for these sports are also often good in Puerto de la Cruz itself.
Scuba diving
Tenerife offers unique conditions for scuba diving. Dive and swim amongst schools of tropical fish or feed giant rays. In Puerto de la Cruz there are several diving centres, numerous diving courses and also diving tours. Popular diving spots outside Puerto de la Cruz include the Chimney, Heaven's Gate and the DC3 airplane wreck at El Sauzal.
Climbing
Due to the pleasant climate of Tenerife, it is a popular destination amongst climbers in the winter. The most famous place, Arico, is an open gorge running north/south with climbing routes on both sides. There are also a few places in Puerto de la Cruz where you can climb.
Paragliding
It is by no means an exaggeration to say that Tenerife is one of the most beautiful places in the world to paraglide. As you climb towards the skies you can look down on incredible sights at any time of the year. A classic glide is the half hour flight over the Orotava Valley, with a height of 2100m, landing in Playa Jardin in Puerto de la Cruz.
Mountain biking
The area around the volcano Teide offers excellent conditions for mountain bikes and downhill trips. You can rent bikes from several places in Puerto de la Cruz and also book guided tours. More confident mountain bikers can take the bus tours to Teide and then it's downhill all the way from there!
print