Flamingo Beach
Flamingo Beach, Playa Blanca, Lanzarote
I have just spent a week here. I spent the run up to this holiday excited to go snorkling, I’ve actually been before around 12 years ago and went scuba diving then, so I remembered how clear the water was and the vast amounts of fish. I was not disappointed this time around. I will caveat that by saying the water inside the man made breakwater arms can become slightly green and cloudy in places, but once you exit into the open water it becomes crystal clear. Without exaggeration, there were thousands of fish to swim with, ranging from small shoaling fish to octopus, ornate wrasse, parrot fish, rays and even angel sharks (sadly I didn’t get to see one of these). Water temps are around 23 centigrade (73 Fahrenheit) in August, so it’s remarkably comfortable to swim in for prolonged periods of time. As it’s Lanzarote its quite windy which means the waves can pick up once you exit the breakwater, however I’d describe it as consistently choppy and wouldn’t cause any concern to even the most inexperienced of snorkelers (but I’d always recommend buddying up in unfamiliar waters).
On my previous visit whilst scuba diving I got to witness a massive shoal of barracuda. The dive leader decided that was enough for the day there and then.
The beach itself is man made as the island is volcanic so its coastline is rather unforgiving and rocky. It is located directly in front of a row of bars, shops and several large hotel complexes.
The beach itself was clean of any rubbish and got very busy with holiday makers and locals usually around the early afternoon.