13ª Mar de las Calmas — La Restinga

At the southern tip of El Hierro, the towering volcanic escarpments of El Julan cut off the Atlantic trade winds, creating a mirror of unusually warm and clear ocean water. This marine sanctuary forms the setting for the 13ª Mar de las Calmas — La Restinga, an open water swimming race held in the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands of Spain. Organized by Travesía Las Calmas, the gathering brings open water swimmers to Spain's southernmost maritime frontier for one of the most distinctive long-distance challenges in the Atlantic basin. Swimmers can choose between three open water courses designed to test different levels of endurance, featuring routes of 2,500 meters, 6,500 meters, and an epic 18,000-meter crossing.

Held in September, the event forms an integral stage of the VI Copa Canaria de Aguas Abiertas. Standing on the start line, competitors face long stretches across open ocean water, trusting their stroke rhythm and visual navigation across a wide expanse of deep blue sea.

Three start points: Orchilla, Tacorón and the Bahía de Naos

The 18 km swim of the Travesía Las Calmas starts from the jetty of the Orchilla lighthouse, on the west of El Hierro. The 6,500 m swim of the Travesía Las Calmas starts from the cove of Tacorón, inside the Mar de Las Calmas marine reserve. The 6,500 m is the most crowded distance of the Travesía Las Calmas, with about 200 participants. The 2,500 m swim of the Travesía Las Calmas starts in the Bahía de Naos, an integral reserve that can only be reached by boat. In the Travesía Las Calmas the wetsuit is compulsory for the swimmers of the 18,000 m distance. Almost 450 participants swam the 13th Travesía a Nado Mar de Las Calmas.

Mar de las Calmas: ocean sheltered by El Julan

The Mar de las Calmas stretches along the southwest coast of El Hierro, occupying the broad coastal waters between Punta de La Restinga and the Orchilla lighthouse. Sheltered by the El Julan escarpment, the Mar de las Calmas southwest of the island is characterized by calm, warm waters and a deep volcanic seabed sculpted into rocky formations, caves, and natural stone arches. The waters of La Restinga are celebrated for their remarkable clarity.

Tagoro volcano: the submerged eruption off La Restinga

Deep beneath the ocean south of the island lies the active volcanic history that shaped this entire coast. About five kilometres from the race area, off the southern coast of El Hierro in the Atlantic Ocean, sits the submarine volcano known as Tagoro. Its modern formation unfolded recently, when an offshore volcanic eruption began on October 10, 2011, at an underwater site located 1.8 kilometers south of La Restinga. During this event, the volcano grew upward from an initial depth of 355 meters below sea level until its summit reached a peak of 88 meters below the surface by February 2012. The 2011 eruption released magma, gases, and heat, which significantly changed the local marine environment.

This dynamic activity shifted into a calmer hydrothermal phase in March 2012. The volcano has enriched the surrounding waters by releasing dissolved inorganic nutrients into the sea. Tagoro is connected to a wider volcanic network across the island. The 2011 Tagoro submarine eruption is considered directly related to the volcanic system of Tanganasoga, situated about twelve kilometres from the race area. Earlier submarine activity also took place, including an offshore eruption recorded on September 13, 1777. In the El Golfo valley, about twelve kilometres away, the Pozo de la Salud sits at sea level as a coastal spring of brackish water. Rich in bicarbonates and sulfates due to volcanic activity, its spring water emerges mesothermal at 36 °C (97 °F).

Reserva Marina de La Restinga: drop-offs and pelagics

The marine waters surrounding the southern tip are protected under the Punta de la Restinga Marine Reserve, established in 1996 to protect and promote the development of fishing resources. About two kilometres from the race area, the reserve drops to depths of over 300 meters. The seabed in that sector is rocky and steep, featuring ledges, caves, tunnels, and dramatic drop-offs. Vegetation cover dominated by calcareous and brown algae descends deep along the underwater slopes, reaching depths of up to 70 meters. Specific sectors within the reserve shelter distinctive underwater communities. El Desierto is the only large sandy area within the marine reserve, home to species like jack mackerel, triggerfish, garden eels, and groupers.

In another part of the Mar de las Calmas, the volcanic mountain of El Bajón rises from the deep with two peaks measuring six and nine meters, inhabited by whale sharks and devil rays. The wider reserve is visited by open-sea species such as the whale shark and the giant manta ray. Thanks to its extraordinary marine biodiversity, the Mar de las Calmas has become a world-renowned scuba diving destination.

El Julan: Bimbache petroglyphs carved on volcanic slopes

The volcanic formation that shelters the Mar de las Calmas is El Julan, located about eleven kilometres from the race area. El Julan is a steep slope that descends from the high ridge of the El Golfo Valley directly down to the sea. Its volcanic landscape is characterized by a succession of volcanic cones and extensive lava surfaces known as Los Lajiales. This wild mountainside was once the territory of the Bimbache people, the original inhabitants of El Hierro. The Bimbache created extensive petroglyphs carved into the steep volcanic slope of El Julan. Archaeological discoveries in the area also include sacred cave burials containing mummified bodies and domestic offerings. On the slopes above the sea, researchers have identified a shell midden, which preserves a fossilized sample of the diet enjoyed by the first inhabitants of the island.

Further along the coast, about eleven kilometres from the race area, stands the Monumento natural de Las Playas. This natural monument is a semicircular escarpment with a diameter of about six kilometers that reaches a maximum altitude of 1,075 meters at the Risco de Los Herreños. The escarpment opens to the sea in its east-southeast quadrant, bordered by a coastline featuring a beach of pebbles and blocks that extends for about 6.5 kilometers. Ancient rock engravings are carved on the upper edge of the cliff escarpment at the Cueva del Agua. Rising vertically from the seabed just off this coast, the Roque de Bonanza is a rock formation that ascends 200 meters above the ocean floor.

Puerto de La Restinga: Spain's southernmost fishing haven

Punta de La Restinga is the southernmost point of Spain. The town of La Restinga is located on the Atlantic coast right at this southern tip of the island of El Hierro. The Mar de las Calmas extends around the point and the town. Over generations, La Restinga has historically functioned as a fishing port. Emerging from the bay brings the satisfaction of completing a long-distance crossing.