Calvià Tightens Restrictions for Anchoring on Its Beaches

This year, the Calvià City Council has implemented new restrictions on its beaches with the aim of enhancing the safety of bathers and preserving the marine environment.

These measures include extending the swimming zones delineated by buoys at the municipality's busiest beaches. In the case of Santa Ponça, it has been expanded from the previous 90 meters to 200 meters, the maximum allowed by current regulations. The technical specifications for the buoy marking services for this season already stipulated an increase in the buoy-delimited swimming areas, which reduces space for recreational navigation near the beaches.

According to the Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Elisa Monserrat: “the City Council is not looking to hinder recreational navigation, but to prioritize the safety of beach users and the protection of the marine environment, including posidonia.” In the areas of Ses Rotes Velles and Caló d’en Pellicer in the core of Santa Ponça, the buoy marking is the largest possible to preserve the swimming area, which has led to complaints from users because some boats operate at excessive speeds without respecting these areas.

Since 1991, regulations have stipulated that buoys delineating swimming zones can be placed at a maximum distance of 200 meters from the coast, to prevent boats from coming too close and to ensure the safety of users. The recent extension of buoy marking in Santa Ponça and other beaches in the municipality reinforces safety in the busiest swimming areas and also contributes to greater acoustic and environmental respect, as well as the conservation of posidonia.

The buoy marking service on the beaches of Calvià must remain active throughout the bathing season, and the contractor is responsible for reporting any incidents. The buoys are equipped with ecological anchors to protect the seabed. It should be noted that the distance between the buoys and the coast could be modified by mayoral decree for safety reasons or regulatory changes, without the right to compensation for the contractor.

The Calvià City Council, through its Beaches and Coastline Department, works in collaboration with the Ministry of the Sea and the Maritime Captaincy to improve safety along the municipality's coastline. In line with this commitment, in June 2024, the installation of a jet ski circuit in Magaluf and Cala Vinyes was discarded. This decision, supported by an unfavorable report sent to the Ministry of the Sea, aligns with the sustainable tourism model promoted by the 2023-2027 Beach Plan, which advocates for responsible and family-friendly leisure.