El Bufadero de La Garita - La Garita, Gran Canaria, España - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com

Close to Telde in the northeast of Gran Canaria lies the small village La Garita, where you can find a really impressive natural spectacle at high tide and only when the water comes in. If here at high tide in La Garita the sea pushes through the rocks in front, one could believe that a huge steam engine was switched on. Due to the enormous pressure of the sea, the water shoots up with deafening noise through the crevices.
These natural spectacles exist worldwide, but only once in Gran Canaria.

Source:gran-canaria-reise.info

A blowhole is a geological formation which can often be found along fault lines at rugged coasts on volcanic islands with lava or eroded caves in the rocks. In the ceiling of these sea caves there has to be a narrow, chimney-like, natural cavity, that, like a skylight, reaches outside. When the waves surge into this cave at high tide, it can lead to spectacular water fountains, depending on the geometry of the cave including the chimney’s position in it and the right weather conditions. When the compressed air together with foam or the seawater itself escapes through the hole in the ceiling you might hear the characteristic snorting, that in Spanish is called bufar, what led to the name of this spectacle of nature - Bufadero.

Interesting examples for Bufaderos (Blowholes) are those that emerged at the coast through volcanic eruptions, when during the outburst lava flowed into the sea. If during this process the upper lava cools down faster than the lower, a tunnel is built, where the hot lava can flow on until the eruption ends. In the end there is a pipe-like channel which, depending on its position, fills with either air or seawater. These tubes might have an entrance on shore as well as to the sea. So volcanic tunnels emerge, into which the water of the waves enters and sometimes builds Bufaderos due to the coastal erosion on rocks with volcanic origin. In some cases these caves can collapse and so water basins are formed.

Since I was there at an unfavourable time and the holes didn't hiss, here is a Youtube link, in which the natural spectacle is shown wonderfully: (visit link)

Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes Parking Coordinates: N 28° 00.163 W 015° 22.535 Access fee (In local currency): .00 Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no Public Transport available: yes Website reference: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/24/2023 xeocach visited it