Arrecifal Updates

New pools to rinse your equipment!

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:17:59 +0000

Hey ya, let us introduce you our new Water piles! Finally looking forward into our 3rd season, we could change our old plastic pools that for 13 years have served faithfully rinsing equipment of hundreds of happy clients.

No more confusions on which goes regs or equipment, and no more bendings with our new rustic style water pools tailored and ergonometric made.

From now on we have 3 different rinsing pools; one exclusively for cameras, another one for regs, mascs and computers, and the biggest, to avoid confusions, for the rest of the equipment. On the their opposite side we made a small wall that help us diving the dry and wet areas, and also keeps our classic photo collage (now bigger) and our news panel.

We wanted to thank our costumers that were here while the works and for the inauguration: Pablo Cabrera, Mariano de Luna, Stephane Muller, Julio Martin, the actor Eduardo Velasco and avery special thanx to our friend, student and bricklayer that did it all: Dani Medina.

To all of you with love, Anita & Carlos. See you soon!

Dani, Eduardo y Carlos

New Filefish sawn!

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:10:36 +0000

Two days ago, I was diving at “Punta del Río”, when suddenly i saw something in the blue that called my attention. That was by the time i remembered my friend David Shilham that send my a picture, a couple of months ago, of a strange Filefish for the area, that he saw while diving in Lanzarote, one next Island. Anyway, as my costumers were not aware of what they were seeing, i ask one of them for his camera and started a race into the blue trying to catch one of these 4 shy Filefish trying to swimm away from us. I even had to use a bit of the zoom to get a shot where to see fairly the fish.

It end up being a Unicorn Filefish: Aluterus Monoceros

Here in the Canary Islands, we have 2 type of Filefish:

Aluterus Scriptus, locally known as “Gallo azul”, and as Srawled Filefish in english, and

Stephanolepis Hispidus, locally known as “Gallito” and as Planehead Filefish in english.

Taking to a frined of mine that´s been here for 13 years already, told me he has seen this fish before in a copuple of oportunities. It may happened that eggs of this Indo-Pacific type of Filefish came with a fishing boat. That´s why, when they have been seen before, they don´t last much at the spot. They may leave or die because of the lower water temperature.

Or, it could be one of the slow consequences of the Global Warming.

I don´t know? Who knows? Please let us know your opinion.

Cheers,

Carlos & Anita

New Dive Site in the Marine Reserve!

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:12:55 +0000

From now on, 01 march 2011, all divers that come to dive el Hierro, will have a new site to discover.

This site was waiting to be placed for a long time, but for various reasons wasn´t materialized. Finally with the permission of the Marine Reserve and the Government, this morning and with the collaboration of the Marine Reserve, ARRECIFAL and Buceo Restinga, the anchor and it´s bouy has been placed and the site opens officially.

The name of the new site is not official yet, but apparently seems to be call “Arenas Blancas”, although it can still change. Its location is about 100 mts towards to the east of the site “La Herradura” (even nearer to town), on a rocky and flat bottom, perfect for a second shallow dive!

Nothing more can I tell, cause grace is lost. Now it´s your turn to come and discover!

Carlos & Anita

Whale Shark in El Hierro

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:50:26 +0000

The Whale Shark has arrived in Mar de las Calmas in La Restinga and hopefully will be with us for the next while!!

This morning, while moored at the Punta Lajial Buoy, another Dive Centre, that had been diving near by, shouted to us…

“We’ve just been diving with a Whale Shark!”

We quickly set off in search, but as luck would have it, by the time we arrived it was gone. As many divers know with the Whale Shark when you go searching for them, you rarely find. It’s usually when you least expect it that this beautiful creature appears!

The Whale Shark was approximately 6m long and was very close to the dive buoy and the surface. For sure it was an unforgettable experience for those who got kitted up extra quick and had the luck to dive face to face with the largest fish in the sea.

But what’s great is that it’s here now and with a little luck we too will have the opportunity to play a leading part in the one of the many surprises that our underwater world has to offer….

www.arrecifal.com/en/

Mantas, Pilot Whales and Hammerheads

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:00:14 +0000

These past two weeks the water has reached 23 degrees. Considering that the water temperature usually reaches a max of 25 degrees around El Hierro, this year may be one of the warmest in recent years as the temperature continues to climb until September.

We have had more reports of Mantas spotted on dives and also we recieved news from a local fisherman that he saw a Hammerhead shark swimming on the surface close to shore. Nobody has had the luck to spot one diving yet this recent sighting sounds promising.

To top it off last Sunday a number of Dive Centres here in La Restinga saw a family of Pilot Whales swiming just outside Reserve of Mar de las Calmas. Some friends at one centre even managed to jump into the water and get close enough to take some photos of these beautiful creatures. What an experience!

One Manta doesn’t make a Summer…but three do!

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:38:33 +0000

Dos Mantas en El Desierto

We spotted 2 more Mantas today at El Desierto. Just a fleeting glimpse this time, but it seems like the Mantas have arrived for the Summer!

First Manta of 2009 spotted at La Herradura

Arrecifal Dive Centre — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:14:32 +0000

We spotted a manta ray today at La Herradura. 20 mins into the dive the Manta birostris appeared. Aproximatly 2.5m wide it swam amongst the group for over 20mins before dissapearing into the blue.

Mantas are regularly seen in El Hierro usually from May to September. For more info on Mantas check out http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=49