Canary Islands

[UFOrb]

As probably you know, if you´re italian take your Eurepean Heath Card with you; it makes burocracy much easier.

Yes. Unfortunately mine had expired and I forgot to renew before the trip. So make sure yours/ your friends is on date!
Mind you, I could only find private centres close to my accomodation near Playa Chica, Lanzarote so didn't have choice as it would've cost me money & time to get to a hospital, which I couldn't be bothered for what was really only a minor health risk.

 

[Sbiriguda]

Thanks for your feedbacks I appreciate

 

[ChunkyMonkey]

If you're lucky you may get to dive with dolphins around Palm Mar. I highly recommend Aqua Marina Diving based in Las Americas.
Also excellent diving to be had with Safari Diving in Playa Chica in Lanzarote.
I've dived with both firms numerous times and always had cracking dives.

 

[ChunkyMonkey]

Ignore this post.

 

[pepe74]

I have a non diving question on Canary Islands. I have a dear friend who suffers from a medical condition and he doesn't like the idea of going to tropical countries because in case he will have a serious problem he would be afraid he can't find adequate medical treatment or it would be too expensive or too difficult. I respect his idea, but I would like to find a place which looks different from the Mediterranean and still politically belongs to Europe, so it has a health system which more or less the same as mainland Europe (Spain in the case of the Canary islands). Would you confirm based on your experience that Canaries are more or less like the rest of Spain and reliable in this respect?
Thanks

Hi Sbiriguda,
I live and work in Lanzarote, actually runing a dive center. Health system is the same as in mainland Spain. Apart from that, there are many private clinics. More diving related, we have acces to hyperbaric chamber in less than 30 min ride from any diving spot in the island.in the island.
Hopefully no one will need it

 

[taimen]

I respect his idea, but I would like to find a place which looks different from the Mediterranean and still politically belongs to Europe, so it has a health system which more or less the same as mainland Europe (Spain in the case of the Canary islands). Would you confirm based on your experience that Canaries are more or less like the rest of Spain and reliable in this respect?

There is a medical university in Canary Islands so even the highest level of care should be available. Tenerife and Gran Canaria have larger permanent population than the other islands. That usually means bigger hospitals and better availability of specialist care.

 

[Sbiriguda]

Well what you say is very encouraging, and it is how I expected
Definitely time to make a trip there

 

[Omb]

We just went there and did open water. Went with Zeus diving out of La Palma. They were great. I really,really liked El Cabron. I could probably go there for a week and just keep doing that location as there is so much. I liked Tufia as well. Stay in the playa ingles area if you are on Gran Canaria. We did a boat dive to a wreck. It was OK, but I would have preferred another day at Cabron if I had the choice.

 

[Dominik_E]

Not to sound smart, and congratulations to your OWD, but: You probably mean Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, not La Palma (the island), right? La Palma also has really nice dive sites!

 

[Omb]

Yeah..you are right. Lots of Palma places there. So to be clear, we loved our time on Gran Canaria, staying in Playa Ingles, Diving with Zeus. Loved El Cabron and Tufia for dive sites.