It is summer, it is hot even when the sun goes down and the coastline of Valencia lives its best moment of the year, the one with the greatest influx. In front of Shed number two, novice and experienced skaters dance on wheels in front of the sea and just a few meters away, the inner basin of the Port of Valencia welcomes small sailboats, large yachts and even a catamaran that takes tourists on the high seas to the rhythm of summer music
Opposite, on the jetty of the inner basin of the port, many people sit to watch: some finish a walk from the Veles e Vents and take pictures; Others take off their clothes, reveal their swimsuits, and suddenly jump into the sea. An innocent bomb, even funny, in one of the most beautiful settings in the city that, however, is prohibited. This is announced by various posters that hang on the lampposts and a few meters away.
It is a term of the Port Authority of Valencia, an entity that announces, on a red sign, that “attention, bathing or fishing in the port area is not authorized”. The rule follows article 8 of the Service and Police Regulations. The fine can be up to 150 euros, the lesser than 120 euros: that is also what the poster says.
The article quoted in the poster explains that the docks, sheds, warehouses, equipment, roads, tools and land are intended for public service, as well as, in general, all the works and facilities within the Service Zones of the ports, with subject to the rules of this Regulation, for the embarkation, disembarkation, transhipment and transit of passengers and merchandise, the deposit of these and the complementary operations that are necessary, “not allowing the use for any other purpose without the authorization or administrative concession required in each case by the provisions in force”.
But bathers, who are not few on these hot August afternoons, seem not to care. There are several who jump into the sea, and others who rest on the dock even wearing a sarong and hat in an area that is just a kilometer away on foot from Playa de las Arenas in Valencia, a short walk that would avoid any penalty fee. There are tourists, but also residents of the city. Conversations don’t lie.
At dusk, this journalist sees a Civil Guard car go by checking the area. As she passed, she heard a group of young people warning each other: “Hold on, they’re over!” When the car moves away, a swimmer emerges from the water, who avoided being seen – and fined, we understand – by the agents, holding his breath underwater.
Consulted the Port Authority of Valencia, it warns that, every time it happens, the Port Police informs the authorities so that they take measures, since it is an area restricted to bathing and, they clarify, it is dangerous for people to bathe there. For its part, the Valencia City Council explains that the waters are the domain of the Port, so the local government has no jurisdiction in that area.
