Von Marlis Zoschke
Climate change has brought about many changes. Anyone picturing beautiful beaches and sunshine and looking forward to their holiday doesn’t want to hear any of it. Unfortunately, nobody realises that the sea, too, is severely affected by climate change – more so than some people would care to admit.
Rising water temperatures are harmful to all marine life. They are dying off because the water has simply become too warm for them. This starts with the smallest aquatic animals, which are actually the food source for the larger ones. Even fish used for food, which are vital for the world’s growing population, are becoming scarcer.
Scientists have found that climate change is intensifying ocean waves. In the Southern Ocean, around Antarctica, a significant increase in wave intensity has been observed. Could increased wave activity also be one of the reasons why there are so many drowning incidents in the Canary Islands?
„Holidaymakers in the Canary Islands are not expert swimmers“
Most holidaymakers are certainly no expert swimmers, yet they see surfers on television who sometimes fall off their boards and are back on their feet straight away. But nobody should compare themselves to them. The Atlantic has always been a place to be treated with caution. The waves appear suddenly and unexpectedly, and disappear just as quickly. Anyone caught off guard often ends up with bruises and grazes.
Two of our friends were just having a walk on the beach looking for shells. But the water got the better of them. Luckily, they were both ‚tough‘. One of them, however, had to rest for a few days. He could barely walk after the incident.
If a wave pulls you out to sea, panic is likely to set in. After all, few people have the patience and experience to wait until the waves subside again in such moments.
Back when things were still fairly quiet on Tenerife, a young fisherman would often sit on a rock and watch the sea and the swimmers. He could always tell when the waves were getting bigger far out at sea. Then he would wave and whistle. Everyone would rush to get out of the water.
In this way, the young fisherman passed the time and perhaps even saved the lives of quite a few people. Today, with so many tourists who are worried about being patronised by a stranger, that would no longer be possible.
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