30-Boat Party in Es Caló

Music and Disturbances

Formentera, 18 May 2026

The usual tranquillity of Formentera’s coastline was once again disrupted this past Sunday by a new gathering of boats blasting loud music off es Caló de Sant Agustí, near the cliffs of La Mola.

According to complaints from local residents, around thirty boats remained moored side by side for hours while dozens of people danced, drank, and moved from one vessel to another along this protected stretch of coastline. The music could be heard from different points along the shore, and many residents expressed their frustration over a situation repeatedly organised by the same Ibiza-based company at the start of the boating season.

Sources from the Guardia Civil stated that the event was linked to the presentation of a nautical charter company based in Ibiza and confirmed that an investigation will determine whether any administrative or environmental offences were committed during the celebration.

Images shared on social media show a large yacht surrounded by boats of various sizes, along with jet skis circling the floating party complete with a DJ and loud music. An atmosphere far more typical of an Ibiza nightclub than what should supposedly be a day out at sea. At least in my opinion.

A Prohibited Activity

Balearic regulations have prohibited so-called party boats in protected areas of the archipelago since 2016, unless expressly authorised. This is especially relevant in Formentera, where a large part of the coastline is protected under various European environmental protection schemes, in addition to the Ses Salines Natural Park and the Es Freus Marine Reserve.

The latest promotional party organised by an Ibiza nautical charter company in the waters of Formentera once again highlights the difficult balance between certain leisure boating activities and the preservation of an especially fragile natural environment.

The Previous Incidents Since 2017

What happened this past Sunday is not an isolated incident. In recent years, the same nautical company has repeatedly organised similar gatherings at different points along the coast of Formentera, all of them accompanied by complaints from residents regarding noise and the impact on protected areas.

The first known case took place in May 2017, when between eight and ten boats moored together in the es Carnatge area, at Platja de Tramuntana, classified as a Site of Community Importance (SCI). On that occasion, residents reported that the loud music could be heard from Cala en Baster almost all the way to es Caló.

Two years later, in May 2019, another party organised by the same rental company brought together 17 boats in protected waters between Cala Saona and Torre Gavina. The celebration lasted several hours and ended with a report filed by the Guardia Civil’s Seprona unit following complaints from residents about the volume of the music.

Fines Far Too Low

The fine imposed after the 2019 nautical party initially amounted to €8,000, although it was eventually reduced to €4,800 after the organiser admitted the facts and made immediate payment. It is precisely these types of penalties that many residents consider completely insufficient to prevent these activities from continuing year after year in Formentera.

For companies handling large budgets to promote their charter services from Ibiza, fines of only a few thousand euros ultimately become just another operating cost within the brand’s own marketing and social media strategy. In practice, rather than acting as a deterrent, these penalties end up sending the message that organising loud parties along protected coastlines remains profitable.

Furthermore, these kinds of events project an image that encourages future charter clients to repeat similar behaviour from their own boats, contributing to the normalisation of an activity that constantly disturbs both residents and visitors seeking peace and quiet along the coast of Formentera.

No Real Consequences

Personally, I take it for granted that these activities will continue to take place year after year unless the financial and legal consequences become genuinely severe.

If the penalties involved truly substantial fines and affected the operating licences of repeat offenders, many of these Ibiza-based companies would probably reconsider organising such events. However, as long as the consequences remain minimal compared to the promotional and financial benefits they obtain, everything suggests that by May 2027 similar scenes will once again be repeated in the waters of Formentera despite the frustration they generate among locals and residents.