Why are the La Caleta pools closed?

Because of the poor state of the water. For two weeks the water has turned green every weekend and been normal on weekdays (RTVC, 21 September).

Is it known why the water turns green?

No. Samples are being analysed in Tenerife and no result has been published yet. The council has not named a cause.

When will the pools reopen?

There is no date. The pools are being emptied and refilled with clean seawater; what happens next depends on the lab result.

Where can I swim near Valverde?

The best option is Timijiraque beach, with a Blue Flag and daily lifeguards until 30 September. Other bathing areas: El Tamaduste, Puerto de La Estaca and Charco Manso.

Is Pozo de Las Calcosas open?

No. The council says it stays closed until building work is finished. According to Cabildo vice-president Ana González, that is expected in November.

El Hierro: La Caleta pools turn green every weekend

El Hierro: the La Caleta seawater pools have turned green every weekend for two weeks

On weekdays the water is clear; at weekends it turns green. That is how the seawater pools at La Caleta on El Hierro have behaved for two weeks, according to the public broadcaster RTVC. On Monday, 21 September, Valverde council closed both pools. They are being emptied and refilled with clean seawater, and samples are with laboratories in Tenerife. So far there is no result, no official explanation of the cause and no reopening date.

22 September 2026 · By Julia Roca Bethencourt · 4 min · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

A pool with a weekly rhythm

The La Caleta pools lie in the north-east of El Hierro, in the municipality of Valverde. The island's tourism portal describes them as large saltwater pools with steps leading straight down to the sea, next to rock carvings left by the island's ancient settlers. For two weeks they have followed a pattern the council itself cannot explain. According to RTVC's report of 21 September, the water is perfectly fine from Monday to Friday. Towards the weekend it changes, and on Saturday and Sunday it is "completely green". Mayor Carlos Brito summed it up in the same report in one sentence: "Llega el fin de semana y el agua se pone verde", meaning: the weekend comes and the water turns green. On 21 September the council sealed off the facility.

What is known about the cause

So far, not much. According to RTVC, technicians are investigating and laboratories in Tenerife are analysing several samples. The authorities expect results "very soon". The council has not publicly offered any theory of its own about the cause, at least not in the only report published so far. Neither the council's nor the Cabildo's website, nor the island outlets El Hierro Hoy, Gaceta del Meridiano and El Hierro Bimbache had reported the closure by 22 September, and there is no statement from the Canary Islands health service either. For now, RTVC is the only source. Brito told the broadcaster that the council had recently improved the facility and now has permanent maintenance staff there every day, which, he said, was not the case under the previous administration. No response from those previously in charge has been published.

What happens next

The pools are being emptied and refilled with clean seawater. The council has not said when they will reopen. It is also not known whether further steps will follow once the lab results arrive. While the seal is in place, swimming in the pools is banned. Under the plan the council published in July, La Caleta was due to have lifeguards in September from Thursday to Sunday, 12:00 to 19:00, which are exactly the days the water turns green.

Where to swim instead

The obvious alternative is Timijiraque beach, also in the municipality of Valverde. In 2026 it is flying the Blue Flag for the sixth year running, Gaceta del Meridiano reported on 2 July. According to the council, it has lifeguards every day from 12:00 to 19:00 until 30 September. The bathing areas at El Tamaduste, Puerto de La Estaca and Charco Manso are also on the council's plan, with lifeguards from Thursday to Sunday in September. At El Tamaduste, however, access to the Cueva de los Barcos has been closed since 11 August after a rockfall, and no reopening has been announced. Pozo de Las Calcosas, in the north of Valverde, is not an option. The council says it stays closed until building work is finished, which Cabildo vice-president Ana González said should be in November (El Hierro Hoy, 8 September).