I'm looking at a last minute booking through Thompsons to go to
Tenerife. Hotel named on arrival. 3 or 4 star in Los Gigantes or Playa
Paraiso.
So, anyone have any experience with the local dive shops?
Barakuda Club, Los Gigantes Diving Centre,
How amenable are Thompson with excess baggage for divers?
Anything I should know anyway?

Signature
Mick Whittingham
'and I will make it a felony to drink small beer.'
William Shakespeare, Henry VI part 2.
Gordon Henderson - 14 Nov 2006 14:52 GMT
>I'm looking at a last minute booking through Thompsons to go to
>Tenerife. Hotel named on arrival. 3 or 4 star in Los Gigantes or Playa
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
>Anything I should know anyway?
The diving gets a bit boring after a while, and make sure your buoyancy
is good as the spiny black urchins are unforgiving.
The water is clear, warmish, but there are no corals with the multitude of
colourful fish that go with them - it's mostly rather dull volcanic rock.
Los Gigantes is supposed to have a good dive centre - I was there some
13 years ago, my last trip a few years ago was to the other end of the
island, see:
http://www.drogon.net/personal/photoShoots/Tenerife.Jan.2002/
Gordon
Steve Parry - 15 Nov 2006 09:58 GMT
>> I'm looking at a last minute booking through Thompsons to go to
>> Tenerife. Hotel named on arrival. 3 or 4 star in Los Gigantes or Playa
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> http://www.drogon.net/personal/photoShoots/Tenerife.Jan.2002/
Agreed ...
We found http://www.island-divers.com/ to be good people.... be warned some
on the islands are not!

Signature
Steve Parry
K100RS SE & F650
and a 520i SE Touring for comfort
paulus - 14 Nov 2006 20:00 GMT
> I'm looking at a last minute booking through Thompsons to go to Tenerife.
> Hotel named on arrival. 3 or 4 star in Los Gigantes or Playa Paraiso.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Anything I should know anyway?
Hi.
Went to Tenerife with Thompson in July, Stayed in Las Americas and did
all my dives with Agua Marina www.aqua-marina.com . I was on a family
holiday so diving was a secondary activity.
Enjoyed warm crystal clear diving in good company. It's not the Red Sea but
I would return for a diving holiday in the future.
I don't know too much about Los Gigantes other than the famous ray feeding
station. Have stayed in Playa Paraiso but before I was a diver. Six years
ago it was not a great destination but it has expanded since then. If you do
end up at Paraiso it is only a short ride to Las Americas for some serious
beering etc.
While there in July one of the dives I did was just near Playa Paraiso in a
bay called El Portito. Very shallow dive never out of the surge but it's a
good place to meet the resident turtle. I think the poor chap has been
getting fed and he gets very close and personal. He (she?) would not leave
us alone all dive.
I was on late availability with Thompson so only had 15 kg baggage
allowance. They gave me (after some confusion at time of booking) an extra
5kg for dive kit and I bought an extra 5kg for about 15-20 quid IIRC.
Hope that helps.
Paulus
Dwain Pipe - 18 Nov 2006 01:35 GMT
I would also highly recommend aqua marina. I've dived with them for
the last 6 years on each visit to Tenerife. Excellent company/dive
school.
Craig