HIGH TIDE IN TENERIFE

The moon and strong winds have brought huge waves to Tenerife.
This was Las Galletas when I got there this morning - I had to go the long way round, and when I saw the seafront road it was obvious why it was closed. The sea had taken a great bite out of the beach and used it to pebble-dash the road, including a few cars that had been left in the danger-zone!

There were workmen sweeping beach off the promenade, too, though I suspect the next tide will undo all their good work 

- the young man in the red shirt seems to think they're wasting their time!

A sea that can throw head-sized rocks isn't going to be fazed by a pile of gritty sand.

And this was the sea at Los Cristianos.

We heard yesterday that a woman had been swept off a wall by a wave. Terrible news, but there will always be people who risk their lives to watch the power of Nature up close.

Anyone want to buy my apartment?  :D

Actually this isn't a joke - our apartment is on the market .

We live in Parque de la Reina, which is a quiet residential village with its own access to the motorway 5 minutes to the airport, 10 minutes to Los Cristianos, and if you click on the link at the top of this page you can take a virtual tour.

WAVES

Well - I did it - I took a video and downloaded it onto my blog - but I can't make it move when I go into preview. Never mind - this is the same view of Las Galletas I photographed in the sea-mist in April, but this time we have clear skies, a high tide and a strong wind - result - waves crashing on the rocks.
My OH went fishing here once with a friend - two elderly gentlemen perched precariously on rough rocks with a rod each - and a waves just like this one soaked them to the skin. They climbed down laughing to dry off in the sun outside the nearby cafe with a beer - and no, they didn't catch anything.

SUELTA/ RELEASE OF A TURTLE

A turtle released on my birthday!
We drove to El Puertito this morning to see a turtle released. Many are rescued from the sea, injured by propellers, tangled in discarded fishing nets or lines. Not all of them are as lucky as this fellow. There was a display board of graphic photographs beside the van that brought two turtles - look on my Facebook page to view the album.
We waited ages - this is Tenerife, after all, where the manana syndrome holds sway! There were children in the sea, and huge German sunbathers lying at the top of the slipway, oblivious both to the spectacle they made and the nuisance they were creating - the release route was that way..We watched in disbelief as a female TV photographer edged down the slipway with a huge camera to take shots of the waves. She was wearing a pair of those droopy-nappy pants, which aren't attractive at the best of times - filled with air by a stiff breeze, they were ludicrous. How she didn't lose her footing on the seaweed is a mystery. A child dropped her drink which rolled down the slipway and her Mum got a round of applause for rescuing the bottle from the waves. The tide was coming in and several people misjudged their dash round a path over the rocks and got soaked. The sun was hot and the spray was cool and it was my birthday and it was all part of the entertainment.
Then we had the speeches, and the expert said that the waves were too much for the turtles to manage. The bigger turtle would be released from a boat, and the smaller turtle would wait until a better day. We thought they were probably stressed enough after ages in the van and the interminable photo-calls, but presumably the experts know what they're doing.
So some divers waded off the beach with the lucky turtle in a plastic box and lifted it over the breakers. There were cries of "Ai mi madre!" from a hundred spectators as the box nearly overturned. Then one man swam backwards towing the box and waving for the cameras - his five minutes of fame - and they hauled it onto the platform at the rear of an orange dive-boat. A moment later, with no ceremony at all, they tipped the turtle into the sea.
Let's hope it makes it.