The volcano ends with a “perfect wave” beach for surfers in La Palma

La Palma – The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands not only destroyed nearly a thousand homes and spanned 350 hectares, but also destroyed a beach famous for its “perfect wave” for surfers in La Palma. Known for its rugged terrain and volcanic rocks, Los Guirres is covered in a hot magma mass 500 meters wide and 700 meters long.

As more than 80,000 cubic meters of expelled lava progressed, scattered across the sea, the landscape crowned with its high cliffs became unrecognizable by its patrons. The place was even the scene of tournaments in the Canary Islands, which attracted a large part of the population.

“It was a magic wave, real magic. Not even the wind changed it. It was protected by the cliffs that protected it. It was the perfect beach for all kinds of surfers because it was shallow. The president of the Canary Islands Surfing Federation, Angel Lobo, told El Mundo newspaper: “This It’s why the lava is deposited in it so quickly.” – We had five tournaments in the Canary Islands, and they were great. Lots of people came from the area, set up food stalls, and there were groups playing. Often just competitors and their families come to our tournaments. But Here the whole city comes in. Well, they came.

Unlike other popular beaches, such as Nazaret, in Portugal, Los Guirres was considered ideal for all surfers. On normal days, there were not many people. No wonder the people of La Palma called it ‘Blory’. Now the water has a new color.

Drone video at 1030 after opening a new vent in the rift zone / Drone video at 1030 after opening a new vent in the rift zone ES_UCL Tweet embed Tweet embed pic.twitter.com/q65T157fUg

involcan October 2, 2021

According to the latest assessment, the lava has already destroyed 880 houses and damaged another 105, which may still be inundated. Among them is the House of Hope, which has remained untouched despite being surrounded by a ruined landscape. Last Wednesday, the owner couple announced that construction had collapsed. More than 6000 people have already been evacuated.

Amid this scenario, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Raul Camacho, launched a Travel promotion campaign To the island destroyed by the eruption. In a message posted on social networks, he said that one way to help society is to “travel and consume” there.

The call came hours after the island’s tourism association announced a significant picture of mass cancellations and an occupancy rate of the hotel network of around 15%.

smoke “pyramid”

The expelled lava reached the sea on Tuesday night and formed a “pyramid” about 50 meters high. Since then, magma has gained an area of ​​nearly 20 hectares (200 thousand square meters) in the Atlantic Ocean. According to Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Program, the island has grown on an area of ​​338 hectares of surface.

The authorities urged residents to avoid leaving their homes and approaching the plume of smoke. Due to the release of toxic gases, the use of masks and goggles is also recommended to avoid inhalation and eye contact.

volcano It came into activity on the Sunday before last, which has not happened since 1971. According to Involcan, the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano could have been It lasts from 24 to 84 days. The projection takes into account data from previous eruptions on the island of La Palma. The average duration of the phenomenon is 55 days.