Tourists face $1200 fine for gross act at Spanish beaches

It's unclear how the ban with be enforced across the 25 beaches of the Spanish resort town.

Sophie Coghill
·News Reporter
Updated ·2-min read
Beachgoers enjoying a sunny day in a Marbella beach (left) with large recognisable hill in the background. Woman in bikini stands in ocean (right).
Beachgoers could face a $1,200 fine for urinating in the ocean in Marbella, Spain. Source: Getty

As thousands of Aussies jet off for the European summer, it's worth keeping in mind a quick pee in the ocean now risks a large chunk of your well-earned holiday money after a ban was recently introduced at a popular Spanish resort town.

Locals and tourists are being warned against urinating in the ocean near any of the 25 beaches that Marbella boasts as authorities could slap them with a $1,200 fine. The increased fine was approved by the city council on June 21 in a bid to preserve the cleanliness of beaches and safeguard the environment, with the fine almost double what was previously in place.

It is unknown how authorities will fine people caught guilty of "physiological evacuation in the sea and on the beach", however, it is believed on-duty lifeguards will likely enforce it.

People at a beach in Marbella.
The increased fine was approved by the local council on June 21 in a bid to preserve the cleanliness of beaches. Source: Getty

The new proposal must pass public consultation before it becomes law, yet many locals are ridiculing the move, with Spanish TV presenter Nacho Abad reportedly admitting to urinating in the sea and offering others advice on how best to do it, suggesting they pull their bathers down first.

"I recommend doing it that way, otherwise your swimsuit smells terrible," Abad said on the Spanish TV channel Cuatro. Another beachgoer in Marbella responded to the ban in jest, saying to the local TV channel, "Who is going to realise someone is taking a leak, the jellyfish?"

Despite the majority of urine being water, some believe urine is toxic to ocean wildlife — impacting biodiversity and damaging coral reefs due to the nitrogen and the bacteria urine contains. For this reason, Portugal and Thailand have banned beachgoers from urinating in the ocean.

However, due to the small volume of urea in comparison to the vastness of the ocean, others believe urine is simply a 'drop in the ocean' in terms of any likely impact on wildlife and the environment, with The American Chemical Society holding this belief.

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