Levante Beach of Santa Pola

Description

Blue Flag beach from 1987. This beach can be accessed from the waterfront crossing it by means of ramps, stairs and other accesses at ground level. It is a very central beach, with fine sand, small palm islands and a wide range of facilities to practise water sports as windsurfing or fly surfing. Free Wifi zone. Beach adapted to people with reduced mobility. It was awarded with `the Breaking of Architectural Barriers and Attention to Disabled People` by the Foundation of Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE). At the end of the nineteenth century, this beach became a make-shift shipyard for building fishing boats. In 1900, the English navy ship `Theseus` anchored in Santa Pola’s bay to observe the Total Solar Eclipse that had taken place on May 28th that year. The English and Scottish astronomical committees that travelled on board were given every municipal facility at their disposal in order to carry out their work. The inhabitants of Santa Pola watched expectantly how the ship’s crew played, in their free time, a sport at the Levante Beach called foot-ball. This is why Santa Pola is said to be the place of introduction and expansion of football in the Region of Valencia. At that time 4,100 inhabitants lived in Santa Pola and this beach was their favourite. Tourism, as well as trade and fishing, was flourishing: Elche holidaymakers, La Sirena baths, the refreshment stands near the beach, the Theatre and the Casino tell us about an incipient tourist development. It has a length of 460 m. and an average width of 67 m. It has a high rate of popularity.