This year's beach season in Zumaia will kick off tomorrow, June 12th, and will run until September 15th. The opening is advanced by two days compared to the usual June 15th start date to allow for weekend enjoyment.
This was recently announced by municipal architect Gorka Arregi and environmental technician Nerea Egia from the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, during an event held at Itzurun beach. At the event, with the collaboration of Irati Epelde from Aztir, they also discussed the reasons for the sand scarcity that has affected Itzurun since winter.
Along with the new season, the lifeguard service will also be operational at both Itzurun and Santiago. The company Neo has won the tender for Zumaia's beach services and will take on the lifeguards who have worked in previous years. In total, five lifeguards will be stationed at Itzurun and three at Santiago, with the flexibility to move between beaches as needed.
Nerea Egia indicated that the rocks exposed on Itzurun's sand might impact its cleaning. "The cleaning of Itzurun will be carried out according to the beach's condition. If the rocks allow, we will use machinery; otherwise, we will have to clean manually," she explained, noting that beach cleaning falls under the Council's responsibility.
The canteens at Itzurun and Santiago, as well as Itzurun txiki and Portu txiki, will open with the summer season. Itzurun will also introduce a chair collection service, but Santiago will not, as previous attempts there "have not worked".
The restrooms prepared under the Santiago ramp are not yet complete, but the work is nearing its end. In the meantime, temporary container-style toilets will be installed until the work is finished. The Directorate of Costs of the Spanish Government has not permitted the restrooms to remain next to the canteen.
Furthermore, next Monday will see the launch of the boat service connecting Txomin Agirre quay, the sports port, and Santiago beach. This year, as a new feature, journeys can be paid for using the Mugi card, although municipal representatives acknowledged that the Provincial Council has not yet sent them the payment terminals.
