La Restinga & Mar de las Calmas Marine Reserve

The southernmost settlement in Spain and the European Union, La Restinga is a small fishing village (population approximately 600) that has become one of the premier diving destinations in the Atlantic. The adjacent **Mar de las Calmas** ("Sea of Calm") is a marine reserve established in 1996, covering approximately 750 hectares of protected waters on the southern coast of El Hierro. The reserve is named for the exceptionally calm conditions created by the sheltering effect of the island against the prevailing north-easterly trade winds. Visibility regularly exceeds 30 metres, and the volcanic seabed features dramatic drop-offs, caves, tunnels, and underwater lava formations. Marine life includes giant groupers (Epinephelus marginatus), barracudas, eagle rays, turtles (Caretta caretta), moray eels, and occasional whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in summer. La Restinga has a small natural harbour with a protected black sand beach (Playa de La Restinga), approximately 6 dive centres, and several excellent seafood restaurants serving the local catch. The area was the site of the 2011–2012 submarine volcanic eruption (Tagoro volcano) approximately 5 km offshore — the first eruption in El Hierro in over 500 years, which created a new volcanic cone at approximately 180 metres below sea level. Scientists now study the rapid colonisation of the new volcanic terrain by marine life.