Lanzarote: Real Submarine Dive

Seeing the ocean floor from a real submarine is the special part here. You sit inside Sub Fun Tres, one of only 14 real submarines in the world used for this kind of public trip, and descend to about 30 meters off Puerto Calero. I like the clear views through the 22 large windows and the chance to see three shipwrecks without getting wet. The main drawback is time: the underwater section lasts about an hour, and some people wish the route went farther from shore.

I also like the practical setup. Every passenger has a seat with a window, headphones, and an audio guide in nine languages, so you are not left guessing what you are seeing. The marina transfer is useful if you are staying in Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen, or Playa Blanca, but pickup times are limited and the ride can make the outing feel longer than the submarine portion itself.

Key points to know before booking

• A real submarine, not a glass-bottom boat: Sub Fun Tres carries you to roughly 30 meters below the surface in a spacious cabin.
• Three wrecks are part of the route: The shipwrecks are a major reason to bring a camera and keep watching the windows.
• Everyone gets a useful view: The vessel has 44 seats and 22 large viewing windows.
• Nine-language audio guide: Choose Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, or Spanish.
• Transport depends on your resort: Pickup is offered from selected areas at specific departure times, not for every sailing.
• Best for families and non-swimmers: You can see the seabed and fish while staying dry, seated, and at normal cabin pressure.

Puerto Calero is the right place to begin

Your meeting point is Submarine Safaris at Puerto Calero Marina, in Module C, Local 2. You should arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, which gives you time to find the office, check in, and follow instructions for boarding.

Puerto Calero is a polished marina with cafés, shops, and boats gathered around the harbor. That matters because the outing is not only a quick ride from a car park to a vessel. You have free time at the marina after the submarine trip, although the amount of time depends on your transport arrangement.

The submarine itself is called Sub Fun Tres. It is painted and designed for public sightseeing, but this is still a genuine submarine rather than a boat with windows below the waterline. That distinction gives the experience its appeal. You are not simply looking down into the sea. You are sitting inside a vessel that travels along the ocean floor.

The transfer can save you a long taxi ride

Free transport is included, with hotel pickup and return available when you choose that option. The pickup areas and times are quite specific:

• From Playa Blanca, pickup is available for the 11:00 or 13:00 departure.
• From Costa Teguise and Puerto del Carmen, pickup is available for the 12:00 or 14:00 departure.

You need to send the provider your hotel name so the pickup point and time can be arranged. The bus is easy to spot according to the supplied details, with a colorful submarine design that children tend to enjoy.

The transfer is a real convenience if you are not hiring a car. It also removes the problem of finding Puerto Calero on a busy holiday morning. On the other hand, the journey can take a while, especially if the coach is collecting people from several hotels. If you are already staying nearby, driving or taking a taxi may give you more control over your day.

One useful planning tip is to check the return arrangement before setting off. Some departures leave enough time to look around Puerto Calero, but you should not assume you will have a long marina visit. If you want lunch or a relaxed look through the shops, ask how much time your particular transfer allows.

Boarding Sub Fun Tres

The walk from the marina to the submarine includes a pontoon. It can wobble underfoot, so hold onto young children and take care if you have balance or mobility problems. Staff assistance is available, and one passenger with a mobility issue described receiving help getting on and off the vessel.

Once inside, you are shown to your seat. The cabin has 44 comfortable seats and 22 large screen windows, so there are two passengers per window. This is an important detail. You do not need to crowd around one small viewing panel or hope that you get a good position.

Legroom may be more noticeable than you expect. One passenger with bad knees found the seating tight, though there was an opportunity to stand and walk around partway through the journey. If you have limited mobility, ask staff for help and consider mentioning your needs before boarding.

The cabin is spacious and airy for a submarine. It is kept at normal atmospheric conditions, and the operator states that pregnant women and people with heart conditions or ear problems are not affected by pressure in the way they might be during scuba activities. You should still use your own medical judgment and ask your doctor about any personal concern. The key point is that this is a seated sightseeing experience, not a physical water sport.

Descending to 30 meters below Puerto Calero

The submarine leaves the marina and begins its descent. You remain dry and seated while the view changes from the harbor to open water and then to the seabed.

The maximum depth is about 30 meters, or 100 feet. That is deep enough to give you a genuine sense of going beneath the surface, while the large windows keep the experience calm and easy to follow. You can watch the submarine in operation on a screen inside the cabin, which helps explain what is happening beyond the windows.

Water clarity is one of the trip’s strongest features. Visibility naturally depends on sea conditions, but the route is designed to let you see fish swimming near the vessel and objects resting on the bottom. The most memorable moments may come when the submarine passes close to the wrecks and they appear sharply through the glass.

The route stays relatively close to Puerto Calero. That makes the outing manageable and helps keep the schedule moving, but it also limits the sense of heading far into the Atlantic. If you want a long expedition into open water or a broad range of underwater habitats, this will feel too short. If you want a safe introduction to submarine travel, the compact route works well.

Fish, rays, and the three shipwrecks

The marine life is the reason to keep your eyes moving from one window to the next. You might see schools of smaller fish passing alongside the submarine, as well as rays and other species. Some passengers have also reported seeing a barracuda, though no sighting is guaranteed.

The fish do not perform on cue. You may see plenty of activity on one trip and fewer species on another. That is the honest trade-off of viewing animals in the sea rather than in an aquarium. Some passengers hoped for more colorful or larger fish, while others found the variety more than enough.

The three shipwrecks are a more dependable feature of the route. They give the journey a clear point of focus and add a slightly mysterious quality to the seabed. The wrecks can be surprisingly easy to see in clear water, and the submarine may pass close enough to make their shape and position easy to understand.

The audio guide adds useful context about the wrecks, sea creatures, and the need to protect marine habitats. It is available in Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, and Spanish. Headphones are provided at no extra cost, so you can listen without competing with a live commentary in another language.

Bring the supplied fish chart into the picture. It gives children a simple way to identify what they see, and it turns the journey into a shared game rather than a silent view through the glass. A personalized certificate is also provided at the end, which is a small but effective souvenir for younger passengers.

What the one-hour schedule feels like

The advertised duration is one hour, referring to the submarine experience. Allow extra time for check-in, the marina transfer if selected, the walk to the pontoon, boarding, and returning to shore.

The underwater portion is long enough to feel like a proper activity, but not long enough to become tiring for most families. This is one reason the trip works well as part of a busy Lanzarote holiday. You can fit it between other plans instead of giving up an entire day.

Still, you should set your expectations correctly. This is not a multi-hour scientific expedition. Several people wished the journey lasted longer or went farther from the coast. If your main goal is to spend as much time as possible underwater, the one-hour schedule may leave you wanting more.

The short format is an advantage for families with young children, older relatives, or anyone who is uncertain about enclosed spaces. You get a genuine underwater experience without committing to a lengthy boat excursion or a full day at sea.

Is the $77 price good value?

At $77 per person, this is not a cheap add-on like a short harbor cruise. The price reflects the unusual vessel, the specialist operation, the crew, the audio system, the certificate, and the transport option when selected.

I think the value is strongest if you have never been inside a submarine. You are paying for access to an experience that is difficult to reproduce elsewhere on Lanzarote. The combination of a real vessel, a 30-meter descent, close views of shipwrecks, and marine life gives the trip more substance than a standard sightseeing ride.

The value is less clear if you mainly want to see colorful tropical fish. Lanzarote’s Atlantic waters may show you plenty of fish, but the experience is not built around guaranteed sightings of large or brightly colored species. The wrecks and the submarine itself are the safer reasons to book.

Transport adds value for visitors staying in the listed resort areas. If you are already near Puerto Calero, the included ride matters less, but you still benefit from the certificate, fish chart, headphones, and organized boarding.

Who will enjoy this most

I would recommend it to families looking for an activity everyone can share. Children can search for fish and wrecks, teenagers get the novelty of riding in a real submarine, and adults can enjoy the engineering and underwater views without needing to swim.

It is also a good choice for non-swimmers. You can see the seabed and marine life without entering the water, wearing special equipment, or dealing with waves around your face.

The trip suits cautious passengers, too. Several people who felt nervous beforehand found the cabin reassuring once they saw the seating, windows, and professional organization. You remain inside a dry cabin at normal atmospheric pressure throughout the journey.

It may be less suitable if you have serious knee problems, need generous legroom, or dislike any enclosed seating. The cabin is described as spacious, but one passenger still found the leg area tight. Children under two cannot take part because of the safety equipment onboard.

Practical details that make the day easier

Wear comfortable shoes for the marina walk and pontoon. Keep a firm hand on young children near the boarding area, especially if the water is moving beneath the walkway.

Bring a light layer for the coach and marina, but do not expect to get wet inside the submarine. Food and drinks are not included, so plan to buy refreshments at Puerto Calero or bring what is allowed for your wider day out.

Choose your departure time with care. There can be up to seven departures a day, six days a week, but pickup from each resort is tied to particular times. If you are traveling independently, check the available start times before committing to other plans.

Cancellation is flexible up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. That is useful when weather, family plans, or transport arrangements are still changing.

Should you book the Puerto Calero submarine?

Book it if you want something genuinely different from a beach day, a pool afternoon, or a standard boat trip. The real submarine, clear windows, three wrecks, multilingual audio, and dry cabin make this a strong choice for families and first-time underwater sightseers.

Think twice if you want a long route into open sea, guaranteed large fish, or a full day of exploration. The trip is compact, and the marine life can vary.

For most visitors, I consider the $77 price reasonable because the attraction is unusual and well organized. Choose a departure that leaves you enough time at Puerto Calero, confirm your pickup details, arrive 30 minutes early, and treat the wrecks and submarine ride as the main event. That is where the experience earns its place in a Lanzarote holiday.

FAQ

How deep does the submarine travel?

The submarine travels to a maximum depth of about 30 meters, or 100 feet.

How long does the submarine experience last?

The submarine activity lasts one hour. Allow additional time for check-in, boarding, and transfers if you use hotel pickup.

Where does the tour depart from?

It departs from Submarine Safaris at Marina de Puerto Calero, Module C, Local 2, 35571 Puerto Calero, Yaiza.

How early should I arrive?

You should arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

Are hotel transfers included?

Free transport is available, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included if you select that option. Pickup is offered from specific areas at specific departure times.

Which areas have pickup service?

For Playa Blanca, pickup is available for the 11:00 and 13:00 departures. For Costa Teguise and Puerto del Carmen, pickup is available for the 12:00 and 14:00 departures.

What languages are available on the audio guide?

The audio guide is available in Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, and Spanish.

Can children take part?

Children under two years old cannot take part because of the safety equipment onboard the submarine.

Are food and drinks included?

No. Food and drinks are not included, though you have free time to enjoy Puerto Calero Marina after the submarine trip.