The Balearic Sea is experiencing an unprecedented heat episode for a month of August. The average sea surface temperature has reached 29.5 degrees over the last ten days, a figure that is 3.7 degrees above the usual values for this time of year. On August 15th, satellites also recorded an absolute record of 29.7 degrees, according to data from the Balearic Coastal Prediction and Observation System (Icts-Socib).

The Balearic Sea has registered the highest temperature for these dates on 25 of the 39 days between July 1 and August 8, according to data from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

The Balearic Sea also suffered the overcrowding caused by the solar eclipse. Images captured during the day by the Civil Guard show entire stretches of coast packed with boats, with thousands of boats anchored a short distance from each other and a particularly high density in some of the points with the best visibility of the phenomenon. A scene that turns into reality one of the main concerns that experts and environmental organizations had expressed before the eclipse: the possibility that the tourist overcrowding that is usually experienced on land would also extend to the sea.

The massification to live the eclipse of next August 12 will not only be lived in the Serra de Tramuntana, the Balearic Sea will also be another hot spot. According to estimates from the sector and authorities, more than 10,000 boats are expected to sail simultaneously along the coast of the Archipelago during the afternoon to experience the meteorological phenomenon. Although it is impossible to have a real calculation of the number of boats that will go out to sea that day (as no permit is required to navigate), both Ports IB and the Association of Nautical Companies of the Balearic Islands (AENIB) and the Association of Navigators (ADN) agree that "if the weather is good, more than 40% of the current fleet of the Balearic Islands, which is 31,000 boats, will go out".

Marga Prohens announced on Monday the Balearic Islands Marine Conservation Plan, committing to increase tenfold the area of ​​high protection in waters under regional jurisdiction, reaching 500 square kilometers by 2027, specifically within Cabrera National Park, and up to 600 square kilometers by 2030. The president noted that before the reformulation promoted by the central government, the area was known as the Toro and Les Malgrats Island Marine Reserves. The government reduced the total area of ​​the reserve but increased the previously planned high protection zone. "We lost in quantity, but gained in quality," acknowledged sources involved in drafting the Plan. They also consider Prohens' intention "good," although they admit that "the government's general policy has been to reduce marine protection."

The Balearic Sea has become a dump And the consequences are becoming increasingly evident. In 2025, swimming was prohibited up to 20 times on beaches in various municipalities of Mallorca, such as Manacor, Pollença, and Santanyí, among others, due to the presence of fecal bacteria that pose a public health risk. There were even exceptional bans of up to a week (from July 7 to 14) in Magaluf.

Fecal contamination on the beaches of the Balearic Islands has doubled during 2025 compared to the previous year, in a context of a progressive and generalized decrease inquality of bathing watersThis is reflected in the Balearic Sea Report 2026, which is being launched this year with a new chapter. BeachesThis chapter analyzes the state and evolution of these spaces in the Canary Islands based on three key areas: the sanitary quality of bathing water, usage and density of people, and the pressure exerted by anchored vessels. The chapter reveals that the islands' beaches not only suffer a progressive decline in water quality but also endure increasing pressure from both bathers and boats. For the experts of the collaborative research project, it is essential to extend the monitoring of users and vessels to all the islands, as it is currently only carried out in Menorca, with the aim of improving the management of these spaces and guaranteeing both the conservation of marine ecosystems and a safe and satisfactory experience for users. The conclusions indicate that, although the overall values for quality and usage remain within normal parameters, the trend is toward worsening water quality and increased human and nautical pressure.

Average sea surface temperatures have reached unprecedented levels in 2025, but researchers from the Balearic Islands Coastal Forecasting and Observation System (SOCIB) have also detected record levels of heat content in deeper layers, with the warming trend extending to depths of 500 meters. This year, the Balearic Sea has experienced temperature anomalies in all seasons. "They were significant in winter and spring and very significant in summer, with record highs in June and July," explains SOCIB researcher Mélanie Juza in an interview with EFE. "This has been the hottest June ever recorded since 1982, which is when we began collecting satellite data," emphasizes the head of the satellite remote sensing facility at the scientific center. Average temperatures in Balearic waters have been between 2 and 4 degrees Celsius above normal, reaching up to 5 degrees Celsius above average in early July. "That's a huge amount, it's a record for the entire region," he emphasizes. In addition to the high regional averages, SOCIB has detected even warmer temperatures locally, reaching 28.5 °C on July 7th, an absolute record for that date. And on July 1st, the Dragonera buoy recorded 31 °C, a total record for the month of July. Besides satellite data and buoys, the agency has other observation platforms, such as underwater gliders and profiling buoys, which record temperature, salinity, and pressure along vertical lines and allow them to calculate "the heat content of the entire water column for the first 150 meters and down to 700 meters." "And in the summer of 2025, in the Balearic Islands, a record for heat content in the deepest layers has been achieved," Juza points out.

Almost six years ago, the Marilles Foundation recognized the importance of raising awareness about the conservation of the Balearic Sea through the visual arts and created MARE, an annual image and video competition whose main discipline is underwater digital photography, to inspire action for the Balearic Sea. The project coordinator, Amador Garcia, explains that art "has the power to stir consciences and touch hearts." He also believes that this positive initiative "has more impact than a catastrophic campaign that conveys a negative message." This year, MADRE celebrates its sixth edition with the MADRE25 Conference, "The Sea Moves Us," a space for meeting, inspiration, and action for the conservation of the Balearic Sea. This year, the project program has been expanded, and in addition to the awards ceremony taking place this Friday at 6:00 p.m. at the CaixaForum in Palma, other activities will be held throughout the weekend.

Five years ago we presented, with emotion and a touch of vertigo, the firstBalearic Sea Report in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands. It seemed like an almost impossible challenge: getting dozens of researchers from twenty-five institutions to work together to make the best scientific information available about our sea available to citizens and managers. Today, looking back, we can proudly say that not only have we overcome that challenge, but it has grown, consolidated, and improved over time.

On June 24, the buoy that records the water temperature of Maó reached 29.3 °C, and this Monday the one in the Dragonera The temperature reached 30.55°C, record figures that, according to Miquel Gili, a meteorologist from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), "have never been recorded in the month of June." The Mediterranean is currently at temperatures between five and six degrees higher than usual for this time of year. In fact, Gili explains that the Mediterranean is the "warmest" sea in the world.