Our PADI CDC is located just metres from our House Reef that offers both recreational and instructor level training for the PADI Sea Turtle Awareness specialty.
The population of sea turtles is sadly in decline, however it is not all bad news. After years of maintaining and nurturing our House Reef and its sea grasses, we now have our own population of turtles.
Although all species of sea turtles are on the IUCN red list with status ranging from vulnerable (leatherback) to critically endangered (Hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley) globally, we are privileged to be able to find up to 5 species in our waters.
Our local sea turtles arrived after many years of maintaining the sea grasses that have now spread in our sheltered bay.
The sea turtles are usually found during feeding and as long as not approached to closely give abundant opportunities for very close encounters with these gentle creatures as they carry on with their day to day business.
We operate a strict no touch and no feed rule and enforce this with other Dive Centre’s and divers who visit our bay.
What do you actually do on a Sea Turtle Awareness Specialty?
The specialty kicks off with an introduction to sea turtles. The instructor will explain the anatomy of sea turtles, how they feed and what their main food sources are.
Participants will also learn how to identify all species of sea turtle with the help of a sea turtle field guide.
Furthermore participants will learn how sea turtles breed and what happens with a hatchling throughout its life. The instructor will also explain how we can minimize our impact on their breeding and nesting behaviour, as this is today a big problem with the continuing development of coastlines.
To end the course the instructor will lead 2 dives in open water to sites where participants will hopefully spot our sea turtles. The newly acquired identification skills can be put into practice followed by a debriefing and a discussion on why the observed turtles are thriving on our House Reef in Tenerife.
Become a Sea Turtle Awareness diver and help us protect these beautiful ancient sea creatures.
Help scuba divers become aware of the struggles that modern sea turtles are going through by becoming a PADI Sea Turtle Awareness Specialty Instructor and educate scuba divers.
Join any of our PADI Specialty courses at a discounted price when you are enrolled on one of our Pro level programs
Contact us for more details
