Sunset on the beach in Arrecife, 5 minutes away from my hostel
Scuba diving in Puerto del Carmen
Lunch after the dive
This weekend I took a trip to Lanzarote, which is one of the Canary Islands. I love scuba diving, and it is something that I have wanted to do since arriving to Spain. The Canary Islands are known for their diving, so I planned this trip with a diving trip in mind! I have gotten much more confident with the transportation around Sevilla and the airport, so leaving for the trip was very easy. Upon landing, I was so excited. It has been rainy in Sevilla lately because of all the storms that the hurricane is bringing, so it was wonderful to escape to some sunshine. Lanzarote is a volcanic island, so much of the landscape is rocky and dry, with some really need black volcanic rocks all around. There are many volcanos and mountains on the island which make for amazing views in every direction. I stayed in Arrecife, which is the capitol of the Island. I stayed in a hostel where I met people from the north of Spain, Colombia, and the UK. It was a great opportunity to practice my Spanish because most people on the island spoke at least some English but preferred to speak Spanish. On Friday I scheduled a scuba trip, and I woke up early to take public transportation to the dive shop. The instructor Mauro is from Chile, but he decided to move to Spain after visiting and he loves it here, especially the food, weather, and lifestyle. Mauro recently opened his own dive shop where he only takes small groups out, so I got to have a private dive with just him! It was so great to have him share his knowledge, and I learned to much about the island and all of the wildlife there. It was my first time diving in salt water, and it was an amazing experience to have for my first ocean dive. We saw many amazing sea creatures, but my favorite were sea horses, cuttlefish, barracudas, trigger fish, a sting ray, and a HUGE goliath grouper. Mauro recorded the highlights of the dive on his GoPro, so now I have footage to share! It was an unforgettable experience. On Saturday I explored the island via public transportation. Tours of the island were very expensive, but the bus was very cheap and accessible. I visited different areas on the island and I loved getting to see all the different terrains and volcanos. I woke up early on Sunday to take my flight back to Sevilla. I had such a great weekend and I am so grateful to have the time to explore while I am studying here!
Rocky volcanic coast of Playa Blanca, with another island on the horizon
Goliath grouper during my dive