SHARKS
There are only very occasional reports of a shark sighting off the Malaga coast.
Juan Jesus Martin, a biologist from the Aula del Mar museum in Malaga confirmed that there are 20 species of shark in the Alboran Sea. This is the name for the part of the Mediterranean sea offshore Malaga. These sharks normally never come to the coast nor near humans. However when they do come near the coast is when they are injured or ill. Very occasionally, a blue shark comes to surface. So far there has never been an attack registered on Costa del Sol.
There have been about 60 attacks registered in the whole of Spanish mainland and islands including Canaries in the last 100 years.
There was an attack on a windsurfer off Tarifa in the Atlantic in March 1986 and a shark bit the hand of a bather off Costa Blanca in 2016.
There are white sharks or tiger sharks in the Strait of Gibraltar. These were thought not to exist in the Alboran Sea until one was fished off Manilva in 1991.
The video above was taken in Fuengirola in May 2015.
In the height of the summer season with the beaches and sea full one Sunday 21st August 2016 in Fuengirola, 3km of beach were closed for several hours. The red flag was raised and the lifeguards instructed everybody out of the water. The alarm had been raised after a shark sighting by lifeguards on an off-shore play centre.
La Linea beach was also closed after a shark sighting on 10th August 2017.
Statistically the chances of there being an attacked on any one day on a 100m stretch of Andalucía beach are about one in 100 million. If the beach is crowded the odds of any one bather being attacked reduce considerably further.
Coasts of Andalucia
Costa Tropical Beaches
The least well-known of the Costas, probably because the name is a recent creation for the coastline of Granada Province. Nevertheless it should not be overlooked. It is characterised by mountains… More →
Costa de Almería Beaches
Perhaps the most diverse of all the Costas. Everything from popular resorts to rocky coves which include some of the least visited beaches in Southern Spain.
Costa de la Luz Beaches
Use our guide to explore the beaches along the Costa de la Luz from the furthest east next to the Portuguese border, to the furthest west at the Campo de Gibraltar. Beaches along the Costa de la… More →
Costa del Sol Beaches
Explore the beaches of the Costa del Sol from West to East using our comprehensive guide. Costa del Sol is the most developed part of the Coast. The Mediterranean water is warm and safe. Many… More →
About beaches in Andalucia
Dog Beaches
The first doggy beach in Andalucia; Playa de la Sal in Casares, at the western end of the Costa del Sol. In 2015 dog beaches nominated by town halls were La Sal en Casares, El Ejido en Mijas, El… More →
Beach Rules
In 1982 the Direction General de Puertos y Costas (a national agency to oversee ports and coastline) ruled that all beaches in Spain should be public and removed the concept of a private beach.… More →
Sharks
There are only very occasional reports of a shark sighting off the Malaga coast. Juan Jesus Martin, a biologist from the Aula del Mar museum in Malaga confirmed that there are 20 species of shark… More →
Jellyfish
Large numbers of jellyfish (Medusas in Spanish) have been a problem from time to time on certain warm Mediterranean beaches in the early Summer in recent years.
Top 10 Andalucia Beaches
Andalucia is world-famous - and justifiably so - for its 800km of coastline: countless spectacular beaches with white sands and crystalline turquoise waters. Whether you want a nudist hangout, a… More →
Naturist Beaches of Andalucia
The Spanish Tourist Board estimates that around 1.5 million tourists visit Spain every summer with the express aim of practicing naturism. To this number can be added the estimated half a million… More →
Blue Flag beaches and marinas in Andalucia
The Blue Flag Campaign started in 1987 and is now is a voluntary eco-label awarded to over 4000 beaches and marinas in 48 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand,… More →
Beach Bars
A beach bar or chiriniguito is was typically a wooden shack on the beach with an relaxed alternative atmosphere serving simple inexpensive food and drinks. Nowadays you have such a range, from… More →
Andalucia Map of provinces and costas.
See and Do
- Beaches
