An inflatable right on the beach

A fine for opulence

Formentera, July 9, 2025

Anyone who visited the quiet beach of s’Alga, on the islet of Espalmador, this past weekend was met with a scene more fitting of a private water park than a protected natural area — a massive inflatable anchored right on the shoreline, accompanied by tables, chairs, and pergolas set directly on the sand.

The setup, captured in a video that quickly went viral on Instagram, came from a yacht anchored just a few meters offshore and ended up costing those responsible a formal complaint for occupying the maritime-terrestrial public domain without authorization.

This wasn’t a case of clueless tourists. The incident took place within the Parc Natural de ses Salines, an area under the strictest environmental protection. Although Balearic law provides for fines of up to €6,000 for this kind of infraction, the ease with which some yacht owners deploy luxury setups right on the beach raises serious questions about how effective those penalties really are.

However, this episode is far from isolated. Just two months earlier, another megayacht set up a “luxury dining room” just meters from the water on Migjorn beach, with tents over two meters tall and a fully set table for a dozen guests. Officers from the Guardia Civil and the Consell had to intervene once again.

The video that exposed it all

On Sunday morning, an Instagram user recorded and shared footage of an inflatable floating structure right by the shoreline of Espalmador. On the same stretch of sand, there were also tables, folding chairs, and a large pergola providing shade for the yacht’s crew anchored nearby.
The scene caught beachgoers and sailors off guard, and it didn’t take long before local watchdog accounts and media outlets were tagged.

Intervention by Environmental Agents

Alerted via social media, an Environmental Agent from the Parc Natural de ses Salines went to the site. There, they found the inflatable and the furniture in place and proceeded to identify the individuals responsible for the unauthorized occupation of public land in a protected natural area. The agent filed a report, and the complaint is now undergoing administrative proceedings.

The Balearic Law on the Conservation of Environmentally Significant Areas (LECO) classifies this type of occupation as a serious offense, with penalties of up to €6,000. Moreover, since the setup took place inside a natural park, it violates the specific land-use plan for the area, which could lead to further liability. Even so, the maximum fine represents only a tiny fraction of the annual upkeep costs of a luxury yacht.

Not the first time this year

On May 17, near kilometer 10.8 of Migjorn beach, the crew of the Emerald, a 48-meter yacht sailing under the Maltese flag, set up two tents on the sand for a private lunch. Beneath them, they laid out a table for at least twelve guests, complete with glasses, china, and silverware brought from on board.
The Guardia Civil responded to the alert for illegal occupation and, working with the Local Police, identified those responsible. The Consell de Formentera is now processing the complaint. The pattern repeats itself: excessive luxury, private use of public coastline, and an infraction that hardly dents the wallet of someone sailing on a multi-million-euro vessel.

The real deterrent

The incidents in Espalmador and Migjorn make it clear that the immediate removal of non-compliant items should be the authorities’ first course of action.
If a giant inflatable or a “five-star” tent vanishes from the beach within minutes, the message is loud and clear. Because let’s be honest — what does a €6,000 fine mean to someone who can afford to sail a yacht worth millions?
As long as financial penalties remain nearly symbolic for people with this kind of wealth, protecting the coastline will require acting as swiftly as those who turn public sand into their private lounge.