THREE beaches in Benalmadena have reopened to swimmers after a mystery skin reaction left around 20 bathers affected over the weekend, while two others stay closed.
Bil Bil, Arroyo de la Miel and Los Melilleros reopened from midday on Monday, once water samples taken by the Junta came back within legal limits.
Santa Ana and Las Gaviotas remain off-limits, after tests at those two beaches returned results outside the safe threshold.
Benalmadena town hall closed all five beaches on Sunday as a precaution, once it became aware of roughly 20 cases of skin reactions among bathers, though it says it has had no reports of further cases since.
The Junta has not yet released its own figure for how many people were affected.
What actually caused the reactions is still not known.
The joint investigation between the town hall and the Junta’s health department is looking at two possible origins: a biological one, such as certain types of algae, and one of a ‘chemical nature’, according to a municipal statement.
Acosol, the public utility that supplies water and manages sewage for Benalmadena and ten other Costa del Sol municipalities, says there has been no fault in its network, ruling out a repeat of the burst water main that left the sea stained near Bil Bil and the Sunset Beach area in May 2025.
The test expected to settle the cause has to be carried out outside Malaga province and will not be back for ‘several days,’ Diario Sur has reported, citing sources close to the case.
Until then, Santa Ana and Las Gaviotas stay red-flagged, with no date yet set for them to reopen, in the middle of the Costa del Sol’s peak summer season.
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