Cartagena Spain, Bathers at both La Manga and Calblanque beachers were fined and exhibitionist arrested

2010-07-29

Enough is enough.

Local police in Cartagena decided yesterday that bathers have been given enough warnings about safety and started issuing fines to those who ignored the requests of safety personnel, ignored red flags, entered the water and had to be rescued by safety staff.

Several bathers were fined yesterday as strong winds whipped up the waves on the Mediterranean beaches.

A spokesperson for the Direccion General de Emergencias said that the decision had been taken following irresponsible behaviour on the part of the bathers, who endanger not only their own lives, but those of rescue personnel, as some beaches have quite dangerous undercurrents and the red flag system is designed to protect them from harm.

Bathers on the beaches of Entremares and Las Sirenas at La Manga del Mar Menor and in the natural park of Calblanque, were warned not to enter the water , but did so, so the safety personnel contacted local police who came down and issued the fines.

The region has been engaged in a publicity campaign to warn bathers of the dangers of entering the safe waters of the Mar Menor alone, as so many people are dying from heart attacks this year, normally occurring when they are far from the beach and alone.

The Mar Menor is a wonderful place for bathers as it is possible to walk out several hundred meters from the beach in places and still only be chest high in the warm waters on the sandy fringe of the Mar Menor, but this leads to a false sense of safety, as more mature bathers subjecting their bodies to a hot beach, colder water shock, are more prone to heart attack, and if far from the beach and alone, are less likely to be noticed when suffering distress.

Last year Cartagena police resorted to fining bathers who endangered their own lives, and it now appears that this year will be the same.

Emergency services have reminded bathers that in some of the more isolated and natural beaches there are dangerous undercurrents around the rocks, and that bathers should exercise great care on windy days, and choose the safer beaches within the shelter of the Mar Menor.

Both of these photographs taken yesterday show the difference, the Mar Menor yesterday was flat and calm, whilst rollers and waves, with strong winds created totally different conditions on the Mediterranean side of the La Manga strip.

 

Meanwhile, police were called to El Portus after a French bather carried out what was described as " exhibitionist behaviour " in front of three young French ladies on the beach.

He had come from the nearby nudist colony, leaving his clothes behind, and became a little over-excited in a public place, demonstrating his interest in the three young ladies in a fashion which resulted in him overstepping the fine line between wandering around with no clothes on, which is apparently perfectly legal should the desire so overtake you, to committing a lewd act in front of the three, which apparently is not.

Police carted him off to Cartagena where he was placed at the disposal of the judicial system.

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