Divers find shotgun and starter pistol in Helsinki swimming areas within a week

A professional diver discovered a shotgun and a starter pistol within a week while clearing Helsinki’s 25 public swimming areas ahead of the official opening of the summer season, city officials confirmed.

The most recent find—a starter pistol resembling a real firearm—was recovered Thursday by diver Jussi Ghoraieb at Marjaniemi beach. Police confirmed the object was a prohibited starter pistol, illegal to carry in public. Just days earlier, Ghoraieb had found a fully functional shotgun in nearly the same location, according to both the diver and Jukka Lundgren, a Helsinki city team supervisor.

Helsinki police could not immediately locate a record of the shotgun recovery, noting that poorly conditioned or destroyed firearms may not always be logged.

The pre-season inspections, completed over the weekend, also turned up broken glass, sharp metal cans, three abandoned city bikes stacked together in Herttoniemi, and shopping carts—all hazards to swimmers. “You name it, from shotguns to computers,” Lundgren said. Diving from piers is banned due to submerged debris posing serious injury or drowning risks, though no fatal accidents have been reported.

Final checks were conducted overnight Saturday to Sunday, ahead of Monday’s official start of the swimming season and lifeguard patrols. While beaches are now declared safe, lifeguards will continue daily wading inspections around docks each morning.

Lundgren urged beachgoers to dispose of waste properly: “The bins are for trash, not the water.”