SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE – “Fascinating lava flows of jagged rocks lie on the seabed beneath the waters of the Canary Islands. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said documentary filmmaker and underwater photographer Enrique Talledo.
Talledo is working on an environmental education project to spread and protect the oceans. Local divers already knew the location of these fascinating basalt columns on the seabed. However, Enrique helped spread their existence through his project.
“At first glance, it seems that we are in great temples of the anthropic origin or even the ruins of Atlantis. However, it is nature itself that has created countless hexagonal basalt columns. These are one of the most surprising and beautiful visual spectacles of the ocean,” Talledo said on his social networks.
Spectacular underwater landscapes
Over many years, the volcanoes of the Canary Islands have forged some absolutely spectacular scenery. Cadena SER writes that in this case, it is the basalt column formations that are produced because the basaltic lava. This is because once cooled, it solidifies, but its volume decreases. In the process, it erupts in the form of prisms of various types (often hexagonal). These then form characteristic groups in many volcanic reliefs. The most famous of the Canary Islands are not even underwater, but visible on the vertical cliffs of La Gomera.
The last photos Talledo shared on Twitter were taken in the municipalities of Garachico, La Rapadura and La Atlántida in Tenerife. Enrique Talledo was recently awarded the Arona SOS Atlántico 2022 Award. He is also the protagonist of the Secrets of the Ocean exhibition at the Los Cristianos Cultural Centre. Here the visitor travels through the oceans via twenty photos and can enjoy marine wonders, such as the largest fish in the world and other inhabitants of the deepest parts of the sea, such as the giant squid or manatees.
Fascinating seabed of the Canary Islands
The regional Ministry of Tourism explains that Talledo has participated in 27 scientific expeditions and received more than 100 awards and recognitions for his work. Nevertheless, the photographer and documentary maker still finds the seabed of the Canary Islands fascinating. Mainly thanks to the magmatic rock flow with erratic shapes that can be seen here underwater.
The seabed of the Canary Islands, according to the Ministry of Tourism, looks like “lava planets” that evoke authentic fascination when observed directly by those lucky enough to reach them.
