La Gomera’s beaches, and why the sea is in charge
La Gomera is not an island of broad pale-sand beaches: its beaches are black sand or cobble, wedged at the mouths of ravines and open to the Atlantic. They are magnificent and they ask for a different attitude to the sea, because most have no bay to shelter them.
Why they are like this
The island is old, steep and without a broad coastal shelf. The ravines run down to the sea and the beaches form at their mouths, from material the ravine itself carries down: dark volcanic sand and rounded cobble.
That explains two things at once: they are small and enclosed, and the slope into deep water tends to be steep. A steeply shelving beach with swell has undertow, and the undertow is what catches out anyone used to a sheltered bay.
Valle Gran Rey
This is the south-western valley, with cultivation terraces stepping down to the coast and several settlements by the sea. It is the most visitor-oriented area of the island and where beach, accommodation and boat trips come together.
And it is also where you see this island’s relationship with water most clearly: the valley is terraced because flat ground has to be manufactured.
The three swimming warnings
1. Gradient and undertow. On a cobble beach with swell, the wave knocks you down and the undertow pulls you out. Waist-deep already puts you in the pulling zone.
2. Black sand burns. It absorbs far more heat than pale sand. At midday, barefoot, it genuinely burns.
3. Limited supervision. Outside the main beaches do not count on a lifeguard. No flag does not mean it is fine: it means nobody is watching.
What it does offer
Clean water, very few people and a seabed worth seeing: on this coast diving and snorkelling work well because the bottom drops quickly and there is life. And west-facing sunsets, with the sun going down behind the sea and La Palma and El Hierro on the horizon on clear days.
That last part is what makes descending the ravine worth it.
Frequently asked questions
›Are La Gomera’s beaches good?
They are magnificent and different: small, black sand or cobble, wedged at the ravine mouths and open to the Atlantic. They offer clean water, few people and good snorkelling, in exchange for more respect for the sea.
›Why is there undertow on these beaches?
Because the coast has no broad shelf and cobble beaches shelve steeply into deep water. With swell the wave knocks you down and the undertow pulls you out, which surprises anyone used to a sheltered bay.
›Does black sand get hotter?
Yes, considerably hotter than pale sand: it absorbs far more heat. At midday and barefoot it genuinely burns, so wear something to the water’s edge and do not rest things directly on the sand.