The number of British and Irish residents planning to relocate to Lanzarote has jumped by 35% in the second quarter of 2008.  That’s according to figures released by leading Lanzarote property portal, Lanzarote Guidebook, suggesting that the darkening economic situation in the UK and Ireland looks likely to lead to a growth in the number of people seeking a brighter future abroad.

An analysis of the enquiries for property for sale in Lanzarote received between April and June this year reveals that long term rental enquiries have jumped dramatically compared to the first quarter of 2008, now accounting for almost 44% of all enquiries.

Most of those looking to escape rising household bills and falling disposable incomes are seeking apartments to rent on a long term basis in the island’s main resort of Puerto del Carmen, which apart from being the epicentre of both the British and Irish expat communities on the island is the main hub for employment opportunities for most new arrivals.

With a cooling housing market and rising rents in the UK, rental accommodation in the resort and across the island in general is certainly a more cost effective alternative - with one bedroom apartments starting from around the €500 per month mark (currently around £400).

Lanzarote also offers much cheaper food, fuel and utility costs.  As you might imagine, heating bills are non-existent!

There has been a 35% fall in mortgage approvals across the province of Las Palmas, leading to a fall in demand for property for sale and lower prices, as local banks tighten their lending criteria.

The bulk of prospective buyers are currently seeking property at the cheaper end of the market - with 77% of all enquiries received focusing on listings priced below the €300,000 mark.

Geographically, Puerto del Carmen remains the most sought after location for British and Irish based overseas buyers - accounting for 41% of all enquires received.

After blogging about the stingray in Puerto del Carmen harbour yesterday, I decided to take a look on YouTube to see if I could find a video of one jumping as had been reported.

I did! And here it is:

But even more interesting was that I actually found a video of a stringray in the harbour at Puerto del Carmen! Being so shallow, the video is well lit:

In fact, I found that video amazing to watch as it is just so calm and the stingray doesn’t appear to be bother by the diver swimming along behind it.

One of the fascinating things to do after a meal in Puerto del Carmen is to take a walk to the harbour.  Here, you will see masses of small fish.  If you throw them some scraps of bread, then they will not only fight over it, they will even jump out of the water in the process.

It might almost seem as if these fish spend their entire lives in the harbour, waiting to be fed.

 
Fish fighting over a piece of bread in the harbour at Puerto del Carmen

This fact has not gone unnoticed, and every now and then a stingray comes into the harbour to feed on the fish.

Until now I considered myself lucky if I caught a glimpse of it.  Now, I know that stingrays can be dangerous because of their barb, but I thought that I was quite safe standing on the harbour wall.

That way, until I read this article on the BBC News website.  A stingray swimming off the Florida Keys jumped out of the water and onto a boat, killing someone in the process.  Apparently, this is not the first time that one has jumped out of the water and into a boat, and I immediately thought back to the one I had seen in Puerto del Carmen.

Could it jump out of the water if it wanted to?  I’ll be standing a little further back from the edge next time…