Being rescued at the pier on the island of Lekeitio could cost up to 1,500 euros

In the event of a rescue on the Island of Lekeitio on the Island of Arraitz at the Island Pier, the cost shall be attributable to the person rescued, since the area is already marked as dangerous. This is permitted by a Legislative Decree of last year, and since the Basque Government has placed signs of danger, the person who ignores the warnings may be fined.

In particular, the Basque Government has provided tidal information at the access points to the pier, including QR codes for checking the state of the tides, photographs of the area at high tide and low tide, as well as warnings of the danger of crossing the wharf during high tide.

Signage, key.

The provision of this information by the Basque Government is essential in this case, since Legislative Decree 1/2025 provides for the possibility of charging the cost of the rescue ifit is carried out in areas marked as hazardous actions, as is already the case on the pier connecting Isuntza beach with the island of Garraitz.

In particular, the rule states that the cost of ransom shall be attributable to the taxable person when the search, rescue or rescue is carried out in areas deemed dangerous or with restricted or prohibited access.

The decree also provides for the possibility of charging the cost of rescues when carrying out risk activities, weather alerts are in place or the emergency service is requested for no objectively justified reason (as well as when the risk appears to exist).

In recent years, moreover, the numberof rescues that have had to be carried out in this area has increased considerably, due to the increase in the number of visitors who had to carry out about 20 rescues last Easter, a situation against which the Basque Government has decided to take action.