Lorraine Williamson
Civil War shell in Denia was the phrase on many lips on Wednesday after a diver’s discovery forced an abrupt reset on the town’s coastline: tape, patrol boats, and a safety cordon where there would usually be dog walkers and winter sun-seekers. By mid-afternoon, the incident ended with a controlled detonation at sea — and a dramatic plume of water rising like a sudden geyser.
The object was found offshore between Les Albaranes and El Raset, two well-known stretches of sand close to Dénia’s port area. Local authorities moved quickly to close access while specialist teams assessed what, for nearly nine decades underwater, still appeared capable of doing harm.
A diver’s call triggers a multi-agency operation
According to local reporting, a diver spotted the device around 300 metres off the coast during the morning and raised the alarm. Within hours, multiple services were involved: local and national police on the sand, the Guardia Civil monitoring from the water, and Navy specialists brought in to deal with the suspected explosive safely.
A security perimeter of roughly 150 metres was established along the shore. Even in January, that meant moving people on the beach — and, notably for this part of the Costa Blanca, affecting motorhomes that often park near the seafront outside peak season. Offshore, patrols ensured boats and small craft stayed well back while the area was assessed.
What happened next, minute by minute
By early afternoon, the operation shifted from assessment to neutralisation. Reports said a charge had been placed by around 2.30 pm. The controlled explosion followed later, at approximately 3.20, pm, producing a deep thud and a vertical surge of seawater visible from behind the cordon.
Soon after, the town signalled a return to normality. One update put the end of the safety deployment at around 15:45, with beach access reopened shortly afterwards.
Was it definitely a Spanish Civil War shell?
Local outlets described the object as a suspected Civil War-era artillery shell (“posible obús”), while other reporting stressed that the Navy had not yet confirmed the exact nature or historical origin of the device at the time of the operation. What is clear is that it was treated as live and dangerous, and that remnants were to be taken for further analysis in Cartagena.
That detail matters. Along Spain’s coasts — particularly in areas with known wartime activity — objects can surface that look inert but remain unstable. The default approach is caution: isolate, evacuate, and let specialists do their work.
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Why old munitions still appear on Spain’s beaches
If the episode feels cinematic, it is also a reminder of how dynamic coastlines really are. Storms, swell, shifting sandbanks and changing currents can expose items long hidden beneath the seabed. A stretch of coast can look “unchanged” to a local eye, while the underwater landscape moves continuously.
Spanish naval and security units emphasise that these interventions are not exceptional. Unexploded ordnance is discovered with “relative frequency”, particularly where historical military activity, dumping, or coastal bombardments formed part of the 20th-century record.
Dénia is no stranger to that history. The town sits on a strategic curve of the Mediterranean, and its port has long mattered to commerce, migration, and, in the 1930s, conflict. Even when a place is not a frontline, the sea makes it vulnerable.
A local precedent: a previous controlled detonation in 2015
Wednesday’s blast also brought back memories of an earlier incident. In 2015, another wartime device — reported as a sea mine — was detonated in a controlled operation off Marineta Cassiana, also producing a significant water plume and a shockwave that was felt ashore.
What to do if you find a suspected explosive in Spain
This is the part many readers will want in plain terms, especially those who dive, fish, or spend long days on the beach.
If you spot something that could be a munition — on the sand, in shallow water, or offshore — do not touch it, do not try to move it, and do not post a precise location publicly on social media. Move away, alert others nearby, and call the emergency services.
In Spain, explosive devices are handled by specialist units trained to detect, neutralise and deactivate ordnance and related threats. The Guardia Civil’s TEDAX-NRBQ service is one of the key specialist structures involved in these incidents.
A sobering image, and a practical takeaway
For Dénia, the day ended without injuries and with the coastline reopened. But the picture — beaches cleared, boats holding a perimeter, and a sudden “geyser” rising offshore — lands differently in a country where the Civil War still shapes public memory and family histories.
The practical lesson is simpler: the sea returns what it has been holding, sometimes without warning. As coastal towns move through winter storms into the busier months, the safest assumption is that any suspicious object is dangerous until proven otherwise.
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