The Chinijo, and what being inside a reserve means

What the Chinijo is

A group of islands and islets north of Lanzarote, with very little or no population, and the marine strip around them. Protection covers both the land — as a Natural Park — and the sea — as a reserve — and the reason is twofold: nesting seabirds and seabeds in good condition.

The islets that are not La Graciosa cannot be visited freely: they are nesting areas and access is restricted. Seeing Alegranza or Montaña Clara from the boat is what is on offer, and it is right that way.

What the reserve means in the water

• ·Fishing is regulated, with limited zones and methods. It is not «a bit of fishing is fine»: there is a regime.
• ·Anchoring is regulated. An anchor on sensitive seabed does damage that takes years to repair, hence areas where you do not anchor.
• ·Diving has conditions. The centres operating here know them; going diving independently in a reserve is exactly what the reserve prevents.
• ·You take nothing. No shells, no stones, no wildlife.

Why this is good news rather than a list of prohibitions

Because it is why the seabed is the way it is. A reserve with years of protection has more fish, bigger fish and less frightened fish, and you notice that in the first minute of snorkelling. What the rules protect is precisely what you came to see.

It is the same argument as the Mar de las Calmas in El Hierro: where there is less pressure, there is more life.

What you can do with no complications

Snorkelling from the beaches of La Graciosa, with clear water and seabed close in. And boat trips with operators who work within the reserve’s conditions — who are also the ones who know where and when you see something.

And the gesture that helps most

Take your rubbish with you. On a small island with barely any infrastructure, what you leave is not collected by anyone: it stays. It is the least you can ask of someone visiting the largest marine reserve in Europe.