The closure 58 days ago of the primary swimming location in Puerto de la Cruz, Playa Jardín, was anticipated. The excessive surge in the presence of bacteria found in wastewater, highlighted by the Public Health department of the Government of the Canary Islands in a report dated June 26, prompted the Puerto de la Cruz City Council to enforce a bathing prohibition in Playa Jardín just eight days later. This was not an unexpected or isolated incident. A prior report from Public Health, dated February 25, 2022, had already cautioned that the quality of the waters in the three black sand coves that comprise the Playa Jardín complex had experienced a “notable” decline since 2016, a situation that deteriorated significantly from 2021 onwards.
