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ALGAE

Copenhagen lifts algae alarm at popular beaches

A number of popular bathing areas in the Copenhagen and Gentofte municipalities have been declared safe after authorities previously issued health warnings.

Published: 26 July 2018 15:26 CEST
Copenhagen lifts algae alarm at popular beaches
Bellevue Strand beach at Klampenborg north of Copenhagen on July 24th. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Municipalities in the two areas on Wednesday advised the public against bathing at Svanemøllen, Bellevue and Charlottenlund Fort.

But the advisories were lifted again on Thursday, Politiken reports.

Warnings against going into the water were issued due to blue-green algae, which can cause rashes and other allergic reactions, being observed at the beaches.

Copenhagen Municipality had expected more beaches to be affected by the issue as algae float in from the Baltic Sea, according to the report.

But the alarm has since been cancelled for now.

“Our inspectors at Amager Strand [beach, ed.] can see a likelihood of algae there. We are monitoring it, but it is okay to bathe there for now,” head of department Jørgen Lund Madsen of Copenhagen Municipality’s environmental protection unit told Politiken.

The situation in both Gentofte and Copenhagen could change in a matter of hours, however.

It is therefore advisable to keep an eye on the visibility of seawater, Ritzau writes.

A rule of thumb is to stay out of the sea if your toes are not visible in knee-deep water.

READ ALSO: Denmark's waters are cleaner than ever

FISH

Teenager dies snorkelling after venomous fish encounter off Costa Brava beach

A 16-year-old was killed while snorkelling off Platja d’Aro in Catalonia after an encounter with a venomous weever fish.

Published: 20 August 2020 14:18 CEST
Teenager dies snorkelling after venomous fish encounter off Costa Brava beach
Stock photo: District47/Flickr

The boy, who has not been publically named, suffered anaphylactic shock and died on Saturday afternoon while on a family trip to the beach.

His parents raised the alarm after he disappeared while snorkelling and he was found unconscious nearby by bathers and brought to shore.

Initial post-mortem results show the teenager had a tiny wound on his neck, above his windpipe, and scratches on his face.

His parents told local media that he had been filming marine life with a waterproof camera and that footage retrieved by investigators suggested he had been stung by a weever fish.

“He had been following a jellyfish about 100 metres offshore which led him to a strange and colourful fish with a harmless-looking face,” according to a statement from the parents quoted in La Vanguardia.

“He was only able to film it for 30 seconds from a distance and at the last second it disappeared and stung him around the jaw area.”

A post-mortem has been carried out in nearby Girona where forensic staff are awaiting toxicology results.

The fish has been identified locally as a spotted weever (rachinus araneusa) a species that carries venom in its dorsal spines and buries itself in sand on the seabed.


Photo by Roberto Pillon/creative commons/fishbase.org

They are usually hard to spot and have been known to deliver painful stings to swimmers feet who unknowingly step in them when paddling in shallow water.

But although they can provoke a severe allergic reaction and in rare cases provoke heart attacks such stings rarely prove fatal because those who step on them can usually reach the safety of the shore before drowning.

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