Seven boats anchored off Cala Gracioneta in Sant Antoni on Sunday, September 13, with a local resident reporting that music from the vessels was played at high volume for hours.

The complaint concerns boats believed by the resident to belong to nautical charter companies and comes amid wider concerns about noise, boat activity and overcrowding in Ibiza's coastal areas.

Resident Reports Noise at the Beach

According to the account published on September 13, the boats gathered in Cala Gracioneta during the afternoon while people were using the beach.

A resident identified as Alfonso said the vessels were playing music at a high volume for an extended period, creating what he described as a “floating nightclub” and disturbing people on the beach and in the surrounding area.

The resident said the same type of situation has occurred repeatedly during the summer.

Complaints Have Previously Been Made

The resident also said that requests had been made on several occasions for the charter operators to lower the volume or move to locations where they would not disturb other people.

According to his account, those requests had not resulted in a solution.

He said the matter had also been communicated to the companies involved and, on different occasions, to the municipal police, Guardia Civil and PortsIB.

The resident claims that no effective solution has yet been reached.

The Complaint Concerns Charter Boats

The boats were described by the complainant as vessels belonging to nautical charter companies.

That is an important distinction because the report concerns a resident's identification of the vessels and does not establish that every boat involved was operating illegally.

There has been no confirmation that the seven boats were committing a specific maritime offence simply by being anchored in the area.

The complaint focuses primarily on the volume of the music and the alleged disturbance caused to beach users and nearby residents.

A Popular and Sensitive Coastal Area

Cala Gracioneta is a small cove on Ibiza's west coast, close to Sant Antoni.

The beach is particularly popular during the summer and its limited size means that large numbers of people and vessels can have a noticeable impact on the atmosphere.

The wider Cala Gració and Cala Gracioneta area has also faced increasing pressure from visitor numbers in recent years, with authorities having previously taken measures to manage overcrowding on the nearby beaches.

Wider Concerns Over Boat Activity

The latest complaint comes against a backdrop of broader debate about recreational and charter boats around Ibiza's coastline.

Residents and environmental groups have raised concerns in recent years about noise, anchoring, congestion and the impact of intensive recreational use on sensitive coastal areas.

Those concerns are particularly visible during the summer, when the number of boats around Ibiza increases substantially.

Not a Confirmed Illegal Activity Case

At present, the incident should be understood as a reported complaint rather than a confirmed enforcement case.

There is no publicly established finding that the seven boats were illegally anchored or that the music itself constituted an infringement.

The resident's account describes the experience from the beach and the disturbance he says was caused by the vessels.

Any potential infringement would need to be established by the relevant authorities following an inspection or investigation.

The Debate Over Ibiza's Coastline

The incident nevertheless reflects a recurring question for Ibiza: how to balance the island's booming nautical tourism industry with the right of residents and visitors to enjoy its beaches without excessive noise or overcrowding.

Charter boats are an important part of Ibiza's tourism economy, but growing demand has also increased pressure on some of the island's most popular coves.

Cala Gracioneta is one of those locations, making complaints about concentrated boat activity particularly sensitive.

Another Summer Complaint From Sant Antoni

The September 13 incident adds to a series of complaints about coastal activity in the Sant Antoni area this summer.

For the resident who raised the latest complaint, the issue is not the presence of boats itself but the prolonged use of loud music close to a public beach.

Whether any regulations were breached remains to be determined by the competent authorities.

For now, the episode illustrates another summer of tension around the use of Ibiza's coastline, with residents calling for greater control of activity in and around some of the island's busiest coves.