Annual Award
Blue Flag status is awarded to beaches, marinas and boats that meet specific standards and criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in Europe. The main criteria are water quality, environmental management, environmental education and information and safety and services.
South Africa was the first country outside Europe to be awarded Blue Flag accreditation. The program is managed here by WESSA (Wildlife Environmental Society of South Africa). Should a beach not comply, the status can be immediately withdrawn.
Blue Flag status is awarded annually and not every beach is able to maintain its status. Once approved as a pilot status beach, the authorities have 1-3 years before they can apply for full Blue Flag status. The most important aspect of this phase, is the taking of a minimum of 20 samples of water, over a period of time to ensure the quality of the water.
Lifeguards
All Blue Flag beaches and Pilot Blue Flag beaches have lifeguards in season, some the whole year round, while some beaches that don’t have Blue Flag status also have lifeguards. This varies from beach to beach so check first.
By Ann Gadd
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