Feature Destination

Sustainable Sailboats Help Nuclear Victims Reclaim Voyaging Identity

For more than 2000 years, Pacific Islanders have upheld a rich history of culture and traditions deeply rooted in deep sea voyaging and navigation despite the thousands of blue water miles that divide these communities. With only the stars as their guide, Pacific voyagers seek to revive and maintain traditional ancestral practices passed down from revered navigators, celebrated for their bravery and perseverance on traditionally designed sailing canoes. Today, these islanders face a major threat to this cultural revival through a lack of the very thing that is keeping their culture alive: transportation.

Traveling between some of the most remote islands in the Pacific is infrequent and expensive for both tourists and locals alike. For the thousands of Micronesian islands stretched across thevast western Pacific Ocean, communities often wait months for diesel powered cargo ships to service their atolls and restock local shops with imported essentials. Meanwhile, chartering a simple “island-hopper” flight can cost more than the average outer islander’s yearly salary.

The philanthropic non-profit Okeanos Foundation for the Sea has created a solution to this problem, turning to the ancient knowledge of Pacific islanders who have been navigating the largest ocean continent for centuries.

MODERN DAY MOANA’S

Since 2011, Okeanos Foundation for the Sea has been dedicated to constructing traditionally inspired, fifty-foot sailing canoes that most outsiders would liken to the vessel seen in Disney’s animated film Moana . The Okeanos vaka motu , which translates to “boat for the islands,” is modeled after the ships of island ancestors who, like the Disney heroine, navigated the open-ocean using only the stars, wind, waves, and other elements of nature to settle on the islands strung across Pacific ocean.

The design of Okeanos’ Vaka Motus are a combination of traditional Pacific knowledge & modern technology to operate smoothly in the open ocean while meeting today’s safety standards. Photo Credit: Dan Lin

With a design inspired by Captain Cook’s 18th Century drawings of Polynesian sailing canoes, the vaka has twin hulls, traditional crab claw sails, and is held together by rope lashings. To meet the needs of the 21st Century, the vakas are outfitted with modern technology that includes a hybrid engine that runs on solar energy, biofuel, fiberglass hulls, and a water desalination kit. The vaka motu boasts of a maximum weight of nine tons, accommodating 12 people and three tons of cargo.

A wood-carved paddle, or hoi , is used by Okeanos crew as a rudder to steer the canoe

The wood-carved paddle, or hoi , is used by Okeanos crew as a rudder to steer the canoe. Picture Credit: Steve Holloway

Today, Okeanos Foundation for the Sea has constructed vaka motus for island nations across the Pacific, including Vanuatu, the Northern Marianas, Yap, Pohnpei and the Marshall Islands.

For the crew of Okeanos Marshall Islands , this innovative form of transportation that combines fossil fuel-free technology with traditional design creates an opportunity for islanders to regain their ancient sea roads and practice the traditional sailing skills of their ancestors. For her passengers, Okeanos Marshall Islands offers a chance to visit the remote islands of their countries that would be virtually impossible otherwise.

THE NUCLEAR LEGACY OF BIKINI ATOLL

Twelve crew members on a mission to service the most remote community of the Marshall Islands maneuver fifteen-foot swells aboard Okeanos Marshall Islands en route to Enewetak and Bikini atolls – the site of US nuclear testing that forcibly displaced its native populations for generations. While it has been over a decade since Enewetak’s population of 850 has been allowed back on their island, the radioactivity on Bikini will be too dangerous for its residents to return for thousands of years.

The traditional, catamaran design of the vaka motu allows voyagers to safely maneuver 15 foot swells and high winds. The rope lashings that keep the vessel together provides flexibility during open-ocean sails. Photo Credit: Steve Holloway

For crew like Tahitian Captain Tohitika “Alex” Sanchez, the visit to the survivors of RMI’s nuclear legacy was much more than a service trip. Tohitika’s mother & family had suffered the health impacts of nuclear testing in French Polynesia at the hands of the French government during the Cold War era. Photo Credit: Steve Holloway

Over the course of four days and 500 nautical miles, the crew endured gusts and waves that pounded at the vaka’s hulls and washed over her deck. Among the team was Bikini-native Edward Maddison, who for decades worked as a dive guide for tourists drawn to the atoll’s WWII shipwrecks and one of the world’s largest shark sanctuaries. While Edward has visited Bikini atoll with divers via chartered plane (which he admits can cost well into the thousands), this voyage marked his first time traveling to Bikini on a traditionally-based Pacific canoe.

Bikini-native Edward Maddison (left) navigates his home waters with Okeanos Marshall Islands captain Tohitika Alex Sanchez (right) at the hoi. Photo Credit: Steve Holloway

“My father and mother, [have] never seen the island. So it’s good for the people if they understand what Bikinians are doing. Maybe they can change some of the people’s lives. When we sail, we learn a lot of things. I hope that the government is going to develop this kind of boat[for] everybody.”

At one time, ancient searoads connected the Marshallese people across 2 millions square miles of open ocean to settle up to 1,000 islands. A thousand years before Columbus, Marshallese voyagers sailed ocean vessels they called walaps between the remote atolls using only the elements of nature – a feat that required incredible precision considering that most of their islands average only six feet above sea level and span less than half a mile wide. The people of Bikini and Enewetak atolls were the greatest boat builders in the Marshall Islands.

Operation Redwing, Shot Erie, detonated on May 30 1956 – one of 43 nuclear tests on Enewetak Atoll. Enewetak communities were forcibly displaced by the US government and did not return until the late 80’s and early 90’s. Photo: Stringer/Reuters

That all changed in 1947 when the people of Bikini and Enewetak were forcibly displaced by the US government who subjected the atolls to a series of nuclear explosions that obliterated plant and animal life and dispersed clouds of radioactive waste across the islands. There were 23 nuclear bombs detonated over Bikini atoll alone, completely vaporizing the islands of Bokonijien, Aerokojlol, and Namu.

Okeanos Marshall Islands is greeted by Enewetak school children, many of which had never set foot on a traditional sailing canoe. Photo Credit: Dena Seidel

“With the loss of land came the loss of culture”, says Enewetak councilman Paul David. “So much of our traditional knowledge used for survival was lost during the forced displacement from Enewetak in 1947,” says David. “Enewetak was once known for its canoe building. The walap was [the] key to life. It sustained people’s livelihoods that brought in goods and fish… Today, canoe building knowledge is gone – sadly a byproduct of the nuclear displacement.”

The Vaka Motu sails by Enewetak’s Runit Island, the site where US military attempted to “clean” an estimated 73,000 m3 of radioactive debris inside of an 18 inch-thick concrete dome. Known locally as “The Tomb,” the dome is a haunting reminder of the nuclear legacy that hangs over Runit – which is still uninhabitable due to high levels of radioactivity. Photo Credit: Dan Lin

After visiting the community on Enewetak, the Okeanos Marshall Islands crew sails through the Bravo Crater, a one mile-long cavity where the world’s most powerful nuclear weapon was detonated; 1,000 times stronger than the bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Edward explains to the crew that the gaping void of turquoise water was once a fertile island; home to bountiful breadfruit trees where Bikinians would build their massive seafaring canoes.

Bravo Crater in Okeanos Marshall Islands

Above: Okeanos Marshall Islands is dwarfed inside of the Bravo Crater formed by the US Castle Bravo detonation in 1954. Photo Credit: Dan Lin

The only residents of Bikini island are the rotation of maintenance workers who are contracted to upkeep the island a few months at a time: An empty restaurant to accommodate the sparse dive tours that visit a few times a year. A row of vacated houses, including the home of Edward’s family, who in 1970 were permitted by the US government to repopulate the island, only to be displaced again after further testing revealed dangerous levels of radiation. It’s all a solemn reminder for Edward and fellow Bikinians for what could’ve been home.

Rows of vacant houses built during Bikini’s brief repopulation period give the island paradise an eerie ghost town quality. Photo Credit: Steve Holloway

Today, nearly 90% of Bikinians have never set foot on their atoll. Edward attributes fear and pain as reasons why his own children are reluctant to visit their family homeland, although he believes the lack of inter island transportation in the Marshall Islands and the hefty price tag it comes with are a real factor as well.

Still, the Okeanos Marshall Islands sail to Bikini leaves Edward hopeful for the future.

Bikini native Edward Maddison tours the rows of coconuts on Bikini Island, planted to test the radioactivity of vegetation on the land. Photo Credit: Steve Holloway

“My dream is for the Marshall Islands to have more [canoes] so that Bikinians can come and visit their islands,” says Edward on Bikini, admiring the vaka motu from the graveyard of his ancestors.

Okeanos Marshall Islands docks under a blanket of start on Bikini Island – one of the perks of visiting one of the most remote destination in the Pacific. Photo Credit: Steve Holloway

THE FUTURE OF TRADITIONAL VOYAGING

Okeanos Marshall Islands has chartered trips to Enewetak and Bikini atolls two more times since their initial trip to the nuclear legacy atolls in February 2018, bringing Marshallese crew and visitors to the former home of the greatest boatbuilders in the Pacific.

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Aquacultures & Fisheries

What the Fish Are Telling Us About Marine Biodiversity and Ocean Health Around Tenerife

Tenerife sits in the eastern Atlantic like a crossroads. Positioned roughly 300 kilometres off the northwest coast of Africa, the island intersects the paths of the Canary Current, warm subtropical surface waters, and the deep cold upwellings of the Atlantic basin. The result is one of the most ecologically productive marine environments in the northern hemisphere, a place where bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean share waters with tropical reef species and migratory whales from the polar ocean. What lives in these waters, and how those populations are changing, tells us something important about the health of the broader Atlantic system.

The Anatomy of an Exceptional Marine Environment

The waters around Tenerife support approximately 400 species of fish, a number that reflects the unusual convergence of marine provinces that the island straddles. [1] Its seafloor topography is dramatic: the island drops away steeply from the coast, reaching oceanic depths within just a few kilometres of shore. This proximity of shallow coastal habitat to very deep water creates conditions that support both reef-associated species and the large pelagic predators of the open ocean, sometimes within sight of the same beach.

In the deeper offshore waters, the Canary Islands are internationally recognised as one of the finest big game fishing destinations in the world, and for good reason. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) pass through in their thousands between December and April, migrating northward toward Mediterranean spawning grounds. These are not small fish. Individuals regularly exceed 250 kilograms, and the largest bluefin recorded in these waters approach 450 kilograms. [2] Their spring passage coincides with dense schools of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and smaller baitfish that concentrate near the island, drawing the giants in from the open Atlantic.

Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and white marlin (Kajikia albida) are present from spring through autumn, the two billfish species that define Tenerife’s reputation among dedicated sport anglers. Spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) inhabit the deeper offshore trenches. Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), and mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) complete a pelagic assemblage that few locations outside the tropics can match. [2]

Closer to shore, the volcanic reef structures support a different community. Atlantic amberjack (Seriola dumerili), barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis), grouper (Epinephelus spp.), and European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) inhabit the rocky substrates, alongside numerous wrasse species, bream, and moray eels. The deeper sandy bottoms, where slow-jigging techniques are most effective, hold species less visible to tourists but central to local gastronomy: red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), sargo (Diplodus sargus), and various sparids that have been fished by Canarian communities for centuries. [3]

Reading the Signals: What Is Changing

The richness of this marine environment is not static, and the signals coming from the water are mixed. On one hand, the resident cetacean populations tell a story of relative stability. Whale Watch Tenerife, which has logged cetacean sightings systematically since 2018, recorded 17 different species in both 2018 and 2023, with short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) present on nearly every survey day. [4] In 2025, orca sightings and encounters with fin whales were notable additions to the year’s record. [4] The continued presence of these apex predators is generally a positive indicator of ecosystem function.

On the other hand, the EU-funded OCEAN CITIZEN restoration project documented concerning trends at the base of the food web when it began its work on the island in 2024. Fish populations associated with rocky reef habitats have declined significantly compared to historical baselines. Seagrass meadows (Cymodocea nodosa), which serve as nurseries for juvenile fish and feeding grounds for sea turtles, have retreated across multiple coastal areas due to sedimentation, pollution, and rising water temperatures. Rocky reefs have been degraded by a combination of physical disturbance and the effects of ocean acidification. [5] These are not peripheral problems. Reef habitats and seagrass meadows are foundational to the productivity that ultimately supports the entire marine food web, from the smallest reef fish to the bluefin tuna and the pilot whales that hunt above them.

The Atlantic regulatory framework governing commercial fishing has also evolved. EU fisheries ministers, meeting in December 2025, set 2026 catch limits with 81 percent of total allowable catches in the northeast Atlantic at maximum sustainable yield levels — an improvement on previous years, though the failure to agree a mackerel quota for 2026 due to disputes with non-EU countries was a notable setback. [6] For sport and recreational fishing around Tenerife, a growing culture of catch and release has taken hold among charter operators, particularly for bluefin tuna, billfish, and other large pelagic species. Most reputable charters now apply mandatory release for bluefin tuna, reflecting both changing regulation and a shift in the values of visiting anglers. [3]

What the Fish Are Actually Telling Us

Marine ecosystems are exceptionally good at communicating ecological stress, if we know how to listen. The presence of 28 cetacean species, including year-round resident pilot whales, tells us that the deep-water food web west of Tenerife remains productive. The decline of reef fish populations and seagrass cover tells us that the shallower coastal zone is under sustained pressure from human activity. The continued migration of bluefin tuna past the island tells us that large-scale Atlantic management is beginning to take effect after decades of overfishing. The appearance of orcas and large baleen whales in 2025 tells us that the waters retain the biological richness to attract ocean wanderers from across the hemisphere.

Tenerife’s marine environment is neither pristine nor beyond recovery. It occupies a contested middle ground where genuinely exceptional natural heritage coexists with the pressures of one of Europe’s busiest tourist destinations. Paying attention to what lives here, in all its scientific specificity, is the first step toward deciding what kind of relationship the island will have with its sea.

Sources

Wikipedia: Tenerife — fauna and marine ecology
FishingBooker: Tenerife Fishing — The Complete Guide for 2026, fishingbooker.com, January 2026
FishingBooker: Canary Islands Fishing — The Complete Guide for 2026, fishingbooker.com
Whale Watch Tenerife: Tenerife Whale Watching Season — cetacean sighting data 2023-2025, whalewatchtenerife.org
OceanCitizen EU: Reclaiming Tenerife’s Ocean, oceancitizen.eu, September 2024
European Commission Oceans and Fisheries: Fisheries ministers agree fishing opportunities for 2026, December 2025, oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu

Art & Culture

A Nature Traveller’s Guide to Tenerife (With a 7-Day Itinerary)

south coast does exactly what it promises. But Tenerife is an island of extraordinary geographical and ecological variety, and the version of it visible from a resort terrace is perhaps the least representative of what the island actually is.

Tenerife is home to Spain’s highest mountain, three distinct rural parks, a UNESCO biosphere reserve of ancient laurel forest, villages perched at elevations above 1,400 metres, volcanic landscapes that look like the surface of Mars, and a western coastline of sheer black cliffs falling 600 metres into the Atlantic. It has colonial cities with 16th-century architecture, cave-dwelling communities, stargazing sites that rival professional observatories, and natural tidal pools carved into lava rock where locals have swum for generations, completely uninterested in tourism. The island has a population of around 930,000 people living real, varied lives, and understanding a little of that life makes a visit significantly richer.

This guide is for travellers who want more of that Tenerife.

Understanding the Island’s Geography

Getting oriented matters here, because the island’s regions are genuinely distinct and travelling between them takes time. The central volcanic massif, dominated by Mount Teide at 3,715 metres, divides the island climatically: the north is wetter, cooler, and dramatically green; the south is dry, sunny, and more arid. The three main rural areas — Anaga in the northeast, Teno in the northwest, and the Teide highlands in the centre — each offer a completely different landscape and character. A rental car is essential for exploring any of them independently, and it is worth noting that many mountain roads are narrow, steep, and genuinely demanding to drive.

Where to Stay: Choosing Your Base

The most interesting places to base yourself are not on the resort strip. Here are four alternatives worth considering.

La Laguna (northeast) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful colonial towns in the Atlantic islands. It was the original capital of Tenerife and its historic centre is a grid of 15th and 16th-century streets filled with carved wooden balconies, baroque churches, and a genuinely lively student population from the nearby university. Staying here puts you within easy reach of Anaga Rural Park and Santa Cruz, without sacrificing urban infrastructure. Hotel Laguna Nivaria, housed in a 16th-century mansion, is one of the finest small hotels on the island. 1

Garachico (northwest) was the most important port in the Canary Islands until the volcanic eruption of 1706 destroyed much of it and permanently altered the coastline. What remained was rebuilt thoughtfully, and today it is arguably the most architecturally coherent small town in Tenerife. The natural lava pools at El Caletón, formed in the same eruption that destroyed the port, are now a beloved public swimming area. Boutique Hotel San Roque, an 18th-century mansion facing the sea, and Hotel El Patio, a 16th-century farmhouse set in a 60-acre banana plantation, are both exceptional places to stay. 2

Vilaflor (central highlands) at 1,400 metres above sea level is the highest municipality in Spain, and sitting within it feels genuinely remote. Pine forest surrounds the village, the air smells of resin and altitude, and Teide National Park is just a short drive away. For travellers prioritising time in the volcano landscape, basing yourself here rather than driving up from the coast every day changes the experience entirely.

Anaga villages (northeast) — in particular Taganana, the oldest agricultural settlement in Tenerife, set in a steep valley running down to a black-sand beach — offer a different kind of immersion. Accommodation here is small-scale and basic, but the location inside the biosphere reserve, with walking trails directly from the door, is hard to match.

The Three Landscapes You Must Understand

Teide National Park and the Volcanic Interior

Teide is the obvious centrepiece, and it deserves its reputation. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited natural sites in the world, but it is large enough that you can find solitude if you walk beyond the car parks. The caldera, known as Las Cañadas, is a 17-kilometre wide depression formed by the collapse of a previous volcanic edifice, and the landscape within it — lava rivers, ash plains, volcanic cones in shades of ochre and rust, and the extraordinary Roques de García rock formation — is unlike anything else in Europe. 3

The summit of Teide itself requires a permit to access the final 200 metres to the crater rim; permits are free but must be reserved well in advance through the national park website. The Telesforo Bravo trail, when an entry permit is obtained, is one of the most extraordinary hikes on the island, ascending through multiple volcanic zones. For those without a summit permit, the trail around Roques de García is an accessible and genuinely beautiful alternative, taking roughly ninety minutes and offering Teide in full view throughout.

After sunset, the altitude and absence of light pollution make Teide one of the finest stargazing locations in the northern hemisphere. The Mirador de Llano de Ucanca and the Portillo area are good spots for amateur stargazing; guided telescope tours depart from various operators in the park. 4

Anaga Rural Park: The Ancient Forest

Anaga is, in a very literal sense, one of the oldest living things in Europe. The laurisilva — the laurel forest — that covers much of this UNESCO biosphere reserve is a relic of the subtropical forests that covered much of southern Europe and North Africa before the Pleistocene ice ages. When those forests vanished from the continent, pockets survived in the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores. Walking through Anaga’s mist-covered ridges and moss-draped trees is not merely walking through an old forest; it is walking through a landscape that has not fundamentally changed in millions of years. 5

The trails here range from gentle ridgeline walks with Atlantic views in both directions to more demanding descents into the deep barrancos (ravines) that separate the Anaga massif’s many ridges. The trail from Punta de Hidalgo up to the cave village of Chinamada — where several families still live in traditional cave houses carved into the hillside, some of them inhabited for centuries — is one of the most culturally and scenically rewarding hikes on the island. The coastal walk from the hamlet of Benijo to the Faro de Anaga lighthouse and back through Chamorga is longer and more demanding but offers one of the most remote feelings achievable in Tenerife. 6

The Cruz del Carmen visitor centre, at the main road through the park, is a useful orientation point and has staff who can advise on trail conditions.

The Teno Massif: Cliffs, Gorges, and Masca

The Teno Rural Park in the island’s northwest corner is geologically the oldest part of Tenerife, and it looks it — angular, layered, deeply eroded by millennia of wind and rain. The main road through the Teno mountains to the village of Masca is one of the most dramatic drives in Spain: a single-lane road that clings to cliffsides above thousand-metre drops, with a viewpoint that looks out across the Atlantic toward La Gomera.

Masca itself is a small village of stone houses that seems to cling to the mountainside by force of will. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, and an early start is strongly recommended to avoid the worst of the crowds. From Masca, the descent into the Barranco de Masca gorge to the black-sand beach at its base is one of the island’s iconic hikes, though it requires an advance permit and careful planning; boat collection from the beach rather than the return ascent is the standard approach. 7

Elsewhere in the Teno, the Chinyero Special Nature Reserve protects the site of the last volcanic eruption on Tenerife, which took place in 1909. The lava fields here are still raw and largely unvegetated, and the circular trail around the Chinyero cone gives a visceral sense of the island’s ongoing geological life. 8

Cultural Touchstones

Outside of nature, several experiences offer genuine insight into Canarian culture. La Laguna’s historic centre merits at least half a day of unhurried walking — the cathedral, the convents, the narrow streets of the Casco Histórico, and the Aguere cultural space. La Orotava, a town in the Orotava Valley on the northern slope of Teide, has some of the finest examples of traditional Canarian architecture anywhere in the islands: carved pine balconies, stone mansions, cobbled streets. The Casa de los Balcones is the most visited building in the town, though the whole historic centre is worth wandering. The valley below, filled with banana and potato terraces and still farmed in traditional strips, is a reminder that Tenerife had a complex agricultural life before tourism arrived.

The Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos — a Dracaena draco, or dragon tree, estimated to be between 500 and 1,000 years old — is one of the botanical landmarks of the Atlantic islands. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands and Madeira and was sacred to the indigenous Guanche people; its red sap was known as dragon’s blood and had ceremonial and medicinal uses. The tree in Icod is the largest specimen known. 9

For an encounter with the island’s pre-Hispanic past, the Pyramids of Güímar in the east of the island are a genuinely puzzling site: six stepped pyramidal structures of uncertain origin, oriented to the solstice sun. They were brought to international attention by the explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who believed them to be of pre-Columbian significance. The on-site museum presents multiple interpretive perspectives with appropriate caution.

Suggested 7-Day Itinerary

This itinerary is designed to move through the island’s distinct regions at a pace that allows genuine engagement with each. A rental car is essential throughout.

Day 1 — Arrive, La Laguna Check in to La Laguna. Spend the afternoon walking the historic centre. Evening in the city’s restaurant and bar scene.

Day 2 — Anaga Rural Park Full day in Anaga. Morning: drive the Anaga mountain road with stops at viewpoints above Taganana and the Cruz del Carmen visitor centre. Afternoon: hike the Punta de Hidalgo to Chinamada trail (roughly 4 hours round trip, moderate difficulty). Return to La Laguna.

Day 3 — Santa Cruz, then drive north to Garachico Morning in Santa Cruz: the Tenerife Auditorium, the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África, and the seafront. Early afternoon: drive to Garachico (roughly 1 hour). Check in. Explore the town and swim at El Caletón tidal pools before sunset.

Day 4 — Teno Massif and Masca Early start. Drive the Teno road to Masca (arrive before 9am). Walk the Barranco de Masca if booked in advance, exiting by boat; otherwise explore the village and hike the Santiago del Teide to Masca ridge trail. Afternoon: Chinyero lava field walk.

Day 5 — Drive south via La Orotava, ascend to Vilaflor Morning in La Orotava: Casa de los Balcones, the old town, the valley viewpoints. Drive through Icod de los Vinos to see the Drago Milenario. Continue south and upward to Vilaflor. Check in to local accommodation. Evening: early night ahead of Teide day.

Day 6 — Teide National Park Full day in the park. Morning: Roques de García circuit (1.5 hours). If summit permit held: Telesforo Bravo ascent. Afternoon: explore the caldera floor. Stay until after dark for stargazing at Mirador de Llano de Ucanca.

Day 7 — Anaga coast or rest day, return Optional: drive to Taganana for a walk down to the beach, or return to La Laguna for a last morning in the city. Depart.

Sources

The Hotel Guru: Best Places to Stay in Tenerife, thehotelguru.com; Hotel Laguna Nivaria listing
Secret Places: Boutique Hotels Garachico, secretplaces.com; Hotel El Patio and Boutique Hotel San Roque
Our Wanders: Best Day Hikes in Tenerife, ourwanders.com, March 2026
Tenerife Excursions: Tenerife — stunning nature between Teide, Anaga, and unique landscapes, escursionitenerife.com, October 2025
Hiking Fex: Tenerife Hiking — 30 most beautiful hikes, hikingfex.com, September 2025
Moon Honey Travel: Hiking Tenerife Mountains, moonhoneytravel.com
Charlies Wanderings: The 7 Very Best Hikes in Tenerife, charlieswanderings.com, August 2025
Our Wanders: Best Day Hikes in Tenerife — Chinyero section, ourwanders.com
Let Y Go: Itinerary of the 6 Little-Known Villages of Tenerife — Icod de los Vinos section, letygoeson.it, July 2025

Feature Destination

Is It Safe to Swim in Tenerife? A 2026 Guide to Beach Water Quality and Coastal Pollution

The question visitors to Tenerife are increasingly asking before they book is one that would have seemed unusual a few years ago: is the water actually safe to swim in? It is a fair and important question, and one that deserves a straightforward, evidence-based answer rather than either alarming exaggeration or reassuring dismissal. The situation is genuinely complicated, varies significantly by location and season, and is in the middle of a politically charged response from local and national authorities.

The Scale of the Pollution Problem

The water quality crisis affecting parts of Tenerife is not a tabloid invention. In late 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union formally condemned Spain for failing to comply with the EU’s Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, identifying at least 12 specific locations on Tenerife where sewage collection, treatment, and discharge into coastal waters was either inadequate or entirely absent. [1] This followed years of documented failures. Environmental analysis cited by campaigners estimated that approximately 57 million litres of wastewater are discharged into Canary Islands seas every day, equivalent in volume to around 17 Olympic swimming pools. [2]

The consequences became impossible to ignore in 2024 and 2025. Playa Jardín, a well-known black-sand beach in Puerto de la Cruz on the island’s north coast, was closed for almost a year after E. coli levels in the water significantly exceeded safe limits. Investigations revealed fractured discharge pipes, pumping stations operating without legal authorisation, and a wastewater treatment plant that had gone years without the mandatory inspections and repairs. [3] In August 2025, the Public Prosecutor’s Office took the unusual step of charging six officials — including a former mayor of Puerto de la Cruz and the island’s former Tourism Department head — with environmental negligence and mismanagement of public infrastructure. [3]

The Spanish environmental NGO Ecologistas en Acción, which publishes an annual “Black Flag” report ranking the worst-managed coastal zones in Spain, awarded black flags to both Playa Jardín and Puertito de Adeje in its 2025 edition. [4] Puertito de Adeje, on the island’s southwest coast, was flagged not for E. coli but for what the organisation described as poor management in relation to new luxury coastal development and an underwater garden project that critics argue threatens endangered marine species. [4]

Storm events have made the underlying infrastructure problems dramatically visible. When Storm Claudia brought heavy rainfall in November 2025, drainage systems in Garachico and Las Américas were overwhelmed, sending wet wipes, oils, and other debris onto the shore. Beachgoers in Las Américas reported finding white, greasy masses on the sand, which chemists explained as the product of soaps and oils in wastewater reacting when pushed out to sea. [5] The Canary Islands government’s own discharge register, updated in 2025, recorded 403 coastal discharge points across the archipelago, with more than half operating without full authorisation. [1]

The Response: €81 Million and a 2030 Target

In February 2026, Tenerife’s Island Council formally presented an €81 million infrastructure plan designed to address these failures over a four-year period running through 2030. The plan covers modernising outdated wastewater networks, increasing treatment capacity, preventing unauthorised coastal discharges, and improving coordination between the island’s municipalities, which have historically operated fragmented and sometimes incompatible sanitation systems. [6] Vice President Lope Afonso framed the initiative around a “zero waste” ambition and called on all local municipalities to participate in the 2027-2030 Cooperation Plan. [6]

The plan has been welcomed cautiously by environmental groups. The Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), which was among the first organisations to raise public alarms about the contamination crisis in early 2026, has called for more transparency about the actual scale of coastal pollution and demanded that tourists be given honest information about water quality at specific beaches rather than generic reassurances. [1] This tension between the island’s economic dependence on tourism and the imperative to communicate environmental problems honestly is not going away quickly.

Where Is It Actually Safe to Swim?

The water quality situation varies significantly across Tenerife’s coastline, and not all beaches are affected equally. The problems documented in official reports are concentrated primarily in the north of the island, around Puerto de la Cruz and parts of the northeast coast, and in specific southern locations where infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with resort development.

The southern resort strip between Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje generally maintains higher water quality, supported by more recently built sanitation infrastructure and EU Blue Flag certification at several beaches. Blue Flag status, awarded annually by the Foundation for Environmental Education, requires compliance with strict water quality testing, environmental management standards, and safety requirements — making it the most reliable indicator of consistently clean swimming water available to visitors. [7]

Practical guidance for 2026 visitors: check the current flag status at your specific beach on arrival, not the status from a previous season. Red flag means swimming is forbidden, regardless of the reason. Avoid swimming within 48 hours of heavy rainfall anywhere on the island, as storm runoff affects even beaches that are generally well managed. The north coast, including the Puerto de la Cruz area, carries higher current risk than the southwest. Beaches within the southern resort area with active Blue Flag certification — including Playa de Troya, Playa del Duque, and Las Vistas in Los Cristianos — are your safest options while the infrastructure improvements work their way through the system.

Looking Ahead

Tenerife’s coastal pollution crisis is real, but it is being taken seriously in a way it was not a few years ago. EU legal pressure, criminal charges against officials, a significant funding commitment, and genuine civic pressure from environmental organisations have combined to produce a political response with specific targets and timelines. Whether that response is adequate, and whether it moves fast enough to protect both public health and the island’s reputation, is a question that will be answered in the coming years.

What is certain is that the era of uncritical optimism about Tenerife’s beach water quality is over. Visitors deserve accurate information, and the island’s long-term interests as a destination are better served by honest communication than by silence.

Sources

BritBrief: Health alert for Canary Islands — tourists warned about beach water pollution, britbrief.co.uk, January 2026
National World: Warning to avoid 48 Black Flag beaches in Spain, nationalworld.com, June 2024
DaNews.eu: Prosecutor charges six officials over pollution at Playa Jardín in Tenerife, August 2025
Travel Tomorrow: Tenerife set to invest €81 million to clean up island’s coastline and reputation, traveltomorrow.com, February 2026
Canarian Weekly: Waste and pollution wash up on Tenerife’s coastline again, canarianweekly.com
Travel and Tour World: Tenerife Plans to Invest Eighty Million Euros in Overhauling Water and Sanitation Infrastructure, travelandtourworld.com, February 2026
Curious Expeditions: Is the sea clean in Tenerife?, curiousexpeditions.org, March 2026