With impeccable timing, two environmental projects set up camp at each end of Los Cristianos harbour. As a crane was winching in a new ocean cleaning boat to combat the annoying nemesis, microalgas , from the Canary Island seas, the top deck of the harbour wall was getting some new marine murals to update the big painting project of 2013.

Assurances of their harmlessness still left 2017 holiday makers a little wary as the photosynthetic algae discoloured the sea, particularly around Tenerife. The Canary Islands government (Gobierno) are taking no chances this time and have bought two boats from Cadiz based Ocean Cleaner to patrol the 29,000 kms of coast around he eight islands (including La Graciosa just north of Lanzarote). One will be based in Puerto Colon, Tenerife, and the other in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, and they come at a joint price of 1.2 million euros. They are versatile and as well as collecting any microalgas that are generated by extreme temperatures, they can also collect plastic residues.

We do tend to vote with our eyes, the last two makeovers of the harbour wall in Los Cristianos have been big winners but nature has faded, cracked, and flaked some of the upper areas so the experts from the University of La Laguna art department are back for a month to add new vibrancy to the artistic sea scape. Paula Calavera, an art teacher at ULL, and an accomplished artist in her own right, has two helpers with her for a month, working in the mornings before the sun unleashes its full power.
Working from a master plan, they have been drawing on the outlines before spraying and rolling the paint to create the full effect of the sea life that thrives around the local waters. Paula´s work already graces a special place in Santa Cruz, as head of the team that restored a reproduction Cesar Manrique mural. The Plaza San Juan Bautista is home to the flying fish (Pez Volador) that looks down on the fortnightly gathering of the Armada Sur as we lubricate our voices before cheering on CD Tenerife.

Tides may ebb and flow but the importance of the sea to Los Cristianos never fades. Walking the harbour wall is a daily pleasure of mine, so it´s nice to know that thought is being given to the welfare of the wall, and the local pride that surrounds it on dry land and out at sea.