Increased safety at beaches in Mallorca this summer
Manacor steps up security to keep climbers safer this summer
The City of Manacor will increase coastal surveillance during the summer months to protect the increasing number of climbers soloing on the cliffs near there.
Soloing is a form of rock climbing popular in and around beaches in Mallorca that does not use ropes or harnesses. When the climber slips, looses grip and falls they drop from the cliff into the sea below. The sport is very popular along the coast between Cala Antena and Cala Varques but in recent years there have been accidents resulting in concussions, broken limbs paralysis and even death. Last June 25 year old Philip John Hawkes from the UK drowned after falling from a rock face near Cala Serena near the Mallorca beach resort of Cala D'Or.
The city council has placed signs around the beaches at Cala Varques prohibiting climbing and jumping from the rocks. Although the Council cannot fine those who practice the sport it has been proposed that anyone requiring rescue from the water be charged €6000. As a precaution the city of Manacor has increased surveillance on the beach from the 15 June 'til 15 September.
Soloing has been popular in Mallorca since its inception in in the late seventies hopefully this summers increased safety measures will produce some great climbs with fewer accidents.
