El Meridian
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
El Meridian is a boat-dive wreck at Palm-Mar on the south coast of Tenerife, lying at 18 to 30 m. It is reached by a short boat ride of about 10 minutes from the harbour of Los Cristianos and is rated for advanced divers.
The vessel was launched as KFK 469, a Kriegsfischkutter built in 1944 in Swinemunde, Germany, for the German Kriegsmarine. She was a wooden-hulled auxiliary vessel 24 m long, used for coastal patrol, mine clearance and escort duties, and served in the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla. After the war she was demilitarised and restored in 1973, and in 1974 she arrived in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. She later worked for more than three decades as a whale-watching and excursion boat out of Los Cristianos. She sank in the harbour in 2004, was refloated in 2005 and moved to her final resting place off Palm-Mar.
Today she serves as an artificial reef. The hull is largely intact with clearly recognisable features. Basic exploration is possible for recreational divers, but penetration needs additional training and proper equipment.
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The wreck sits between sand and nearby rock. Schools of baitfish such as sardines gather around it, and amberjack hunt them in coordinated bursts. Moray eels and octopus live in the adjacent rocky sections along with groupers, and a variety of rays visit the sand around the wreck. Dolphins are occasionally sighted near the site and may pass by during the ascent or safety stop.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
European ParrotfishSparisoma cretenseReported here · unconfirmed
Ornate WrasseThalassoma pavoReported here · unconfirmed
East Atlantic Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus adscensionisReported here · unconfirmed
Canary DamselSimiliparma luridaReported here · unconfirmed
Short-finned Pilot WhaleGlobicephala macrorhynchusReported here · unconfirmed
Macaronesian TobyCanthigaster capistrataReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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