Platges de Comte recorded more than 1,500 people at the same time during a peak period this summer, almost three times its estimated physical carrying capacity, according to a new pilot study by the Ibiza & Formentera Sustainability Observatory.

The study monitored the use of two very different beaches between August 1 and 4: Platges de Comte in Sant Josep, a semi-natural beach, and Platja de Santa Eulària, an urban beach.

The results reveal a major difference in the level of pressure experienced by the two locations.

1,513 people recorded at the peak

The highest number at Platges de Comte was recorded at 15:00 on August 4, when researchers counted 1,513 people.

The beach's estimated physical carrying capacity was 537 people under the methodology used by the study.

That means the recorded peak was approximately 2.8 times the estimated capacity.

The study is based on a minimum reference of 7.5 square metres of beach surface per person, a criterion originally established through Ibiza's Tourism Supply Planning Plan, known as the POOT, and subsequently used in municipal planning documentation.

Only 2.67 square metres per person

Platges de Comte has approximately 4,025 square metres of beach surface included in the calculation.

At the peak recorded on August 4, that translated into approximately 2.67 square metres of beach area per person.

That is 4.83 square metres below the 7.5 square metres per person used as the study's reference.

The figure describes physical space available on the beach. It does not by itself establish that visitors were in danger or that the beach had exceeded a legally enforceable maximum occupancy limit.

Crowding was not limited to one afternoon

The study found that the high level of use was not simply the result of one exceptionally busy moment.

The average number of people recorded on weekdays was 1,073.

That is almost twice the estimated physical carrying capacity of 537 people.

At that average level, the available beach area was approximately 3.75 square metres per person.

The findings therefore indicate sustained pressure during the observation period rather than a single isolated peak.

Up to 888 vehicles counted

The pilot study also included an initial assessment of land-based access pressure at Platges de Comte.

Researchers recorded a maximum of 888 parked vehicles on a weekday and 756 during the weekend.

The daily average was 622 vehicles.

The study also calculated that the two car parks near the beach and the restaurants together occupy approximately 29,526 square metres of protected rural land, divided between different protection categories.

According to the study, there is currently no specific parking regulation covering the area.

A very different picture at Santa Eulària

The second beach examined produced considerably different results.

Platja de Santa Eulària has approximately 16,688 square metres of beach surface, giving it an estimated physical carrying capacity of 2,225 people under the same methodology.

Its maximum recorded occupancy was only 618 people.

That peak occurred at 12:00 on August 1.

The figure represented approximately 27.8% of the estimated physical capacity, with around 27 square metres of beach surface available per person.

Why the two beaches were studied

The pilot project was designed to compare beaches with different physical and urban characteristics.

Platges de Comte is a semi-natural coastal area that attracts large numbers of visitors, particularly during the summer.

Santa Eulària, by contrast, is an urban beach with substantially more beach surface.

The comparison provides an initial indication of how visitor pressure can vary considerably between different types of coastal spaces.

The study uses an established methodology

The Observatory based its methodology on an indicator developed by the Socioenvironmental Observatory of Menorca, OBSAM.

The methodology calls for at least three daily counts during two August days with favourable weather conditions, including one weekday and one weekend day.

The Ibiza pilot was conducted over four days, from August 1 to 4, providing additional observations during the selected period.

Observatory calls for better management

Elisa Langley, coordinator of the Ibiza & Formentera Sustainability Observatory, said the results demonstrate very different situations between the two beaches.

In the case of Platges de Comte, the organisation says the level of use could have implications for both the beach-dune natural system and visitors' experience.

The Observatory considers the pilot a first step towards establishing an annual monitoring programme that could provide more consistent data on pressure at individual beaches.

What the figures do and do not mean

The 537-person figure is an estimated physical carrying capacity, not a ticketed or legally imposed visitor limit.

Similarly, the 1,513 figure represents the maximum number counted during the study's observation period, rather than the number of people present throughout the entire day.

The results also do not establish that every person counted was using the same section of sand at the same time. The study's methodology is specifically concerned with the available beach surface and visitor density.

These distinctions matter when interpreting the results.

A snapshot of pressure during August

The study does not attempt to measure every day of the summer season.

Instead, it provides a detailed snapshot from August 1 to 4, a period selected because Ibiza experiences particularly high population and visitor levels during this part of the year.

The researchers' findings suggest that Platges de Comte can experience visitor levels substantially above the physical capacity estimated using the 7.5-square-metre reference.

Further annual monitoring would be needed to establish how frequently those levels occur across the wider season.

A new dataset for managing Ibiza's beaches

The Observatory says the pilot can provide a basis for future monitoring of beach occupancy and pressure.

For Platges de Comte, the combination of visitor counts and vehicle data also highlights the relationship between pressure on the beach and access by road.

The results give authorities a new set of measurements to consider when assessing how heavily different coastal areas are being used.

For now, the study's clearest finding is the contrast between the two beaches: Platges de Comte recorded a peak of 1,513 people against an estimated physical capacity of 537, while Santa Eulària's maximum of 618 remained well below its estimated capacity of 2,225.