Comino and tiny Cominotto are still as wonderful as ever. The sea is aquamarine and you can still see the pristine sand on the bottom of this very special lagoon.
To start this editorial on a positive note, it is good to see that boat owners are sticking to the swimming zone rules. That might sound like a contradiction in terms, but what is meant is that people who have boats are staying out of the clearly demarcated zone specifically set out for swimmers. This means that boats cannot enter the lagoon from the ‘Malta side’ and must go round the back of Cominotto to unload passengers at the floating jetty. This is also complemented by patrols made by the Administrative Law Enforcement which ensures that boat owners respect the law.
As mentioned, it is much safer for swimmers than it used to be, but there is one drawback, all the pleasure boats that berth or anchor near the Blue Lagoon are jam-packed. This would easily be solved if a berthing area were to be set up ‘round the corner’ so to speak – still well within walking distance of the lagoon, but at least it would alleviate the congestion.
And this, unfortunately, is where the positives stop. The first thing that needs to be brought to attention is the hijacking of each and every beach space by the deckchair and umbrella army.
Every possible space is taken up, the sandy coves on the main-shore side lip, the elevated rock beach side and even the jetty. The jetty area is perhaps the worst with people packed together like sardines drying in the sun. The prices one has to pay for an umbrella and deckchair are also quite steep. The little sandy areas are also taken over by the ‘beach furniture’ companies. One can also disembark at Cominotto and even that tiny little rock has been taken over. There is a small sandy cove, no larger than a tennis court, which has also been taken over by the umbrella firms. It is organised chaos.
The Lagoon area is served by two kiosks. Both charge exhorbitant prices, for example e3.50 for an inedible hotdog. Soggy chips go at e1.50 and ice cream prices are also way over inflated.
Pleasure cruise ships blaring out party music should also be regulated. If loud music is a nuisance in Malta or Gozo, then it is more so in Comino where people have gone to relax for the day.
The sad thing is that Comino is indeed a gem. We have a deserted island just off our coast which you can reach in 15 minutes by water taxi. Surely, with proper regulation, this little treasure can be turned into far more attractive a venue than it is at present.
We are not saying that there should be no “beach furniture” hiring, far from it. People need shelter and should be offered the facility of paying for it onsite. But what we are saying is that such firms should not be allowed to take up the whole area, it is, after all, public land and is part of the foreshore. We are also saying that there should be food outlets, but these should be up to scratch and within sanitary requirements. A quick inspection of prices will also show clearly that they are very much over inflated, especially for food. Comino is the closest thing that Europe has to a Caribbean-style holiday destination. We should regulate it and make sure that people have access to it.