ARCHIVED - Dangerous behaviour as beachgoers in Spain use shipwrecked boat as a playground

The sailing boat ran aground a few weeks ago off the beach of Coma-ruga, in Tarragona

A shipwreck has become a dangerous playground for beachgoers in Tarragona who have been throwing themselves off the bow of a sailing boat that ran aground a few weeks ago off Coma-ruga beach, despite its deteriorated state.

Lifeguards have received hundreds of complaints about the alarming practice, and the boat owner has heavily criticised the city council, claiming he hasn't been helped to refloat the grounded boat despite his warnings that the wreck has become a main attraction for daredevil beachgoers who are plunging the vessel further into the sand.

The boat, which has been stranded for about a month now, poses an obvious danger to the public as its condition is becoming increasingly hazardous with sharp edges and rusty ironwork.

According to reports, curious onlookers, including children, climb aboard every day to peek inside the cabin, which, despite being half submerged in the water, has been stripped bare by thieves.

El velero varado frente a las costas de Coma-ruga (Tarragona) se ha convertido en una atracción para bañistas que acceden a la embarcación a nado. Según informan algunos medios el propietario denuncia que está siendo desvalijado y que no recibe ayuda de la admón. para reflotarlo. pic.twitter.com/wk7sNCGoI1

— DiegoSánchezMartínez (@DiegoSanchezMtz) July 10, 2022

Also read: Drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death in Spain

And even though the water around the boat is less than two metres deep, bathers climb onto the bow to jump into the shallow waves.

Justifying the lack of urgency in refloating the boat, Tarragona Council said that in order to remove the chained sailboat, the sand that has accumulated around it must first be dredged and then removed by land or water.

The local authority has assured that whilst this is carried out, "there will be no risk to the public or to the ecosystem". 

However, the sailboat owner plans to take legal action over "the passivity of the administrations", which hold him responsible for allegedly entering an unauthorised area.

Now, weeks after the vessel ran aground, there's a debate with coastal authorities over the clarity of signposting at the entrance to the port and whether the grounding could have been avoided.

A red flag has been raised on Coma-ruga beach in a bid to prevent the risky behaviour.

Now read: How to tell the temperature in Spain from the song of the crickets

Image: Flickr (not actual boat)