About Blue Flag

A Blue Flag is an international award given to beaches that meet EXCELLENCE in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards. As South Africa enters it’s the eighth year of running Blue Flag, we can proudly say that our beaches are sustaining excellence in beach management and rate among the top beaches in the world.
South Africa is the first country outside Europe to win Blue Flag accreditation for its beaches.

For the 2010/2011 season, 27 beaches were awarded Blue Flag status, with 9 receiving pilot status.   As at April 2011, 22 have retained their accreditation, though most of the Western Cape beaches have now closed for the winter period.  Five beaches unfortunately lost their status as a result of not complying with the quality standards that Blue Flag requires.  All Blue Flag beaches are periodically checked to ensure that they are providing the high standards of beach safety, security, water quality, education and environmental management for beachgoers.

For further details contact:
National Blue Flag Program
Tel: 033-3303931ext 132 (Sheivine).
PO Box 394, Howick 3290
Email blueflag@wessa.co.za

What does Blue Flag do for YOU?
The Blue Flag assures you that the beaches are clean, safe and environmentally friendly. The award also helps to educate the community about the need to care for our coastline. Blue Flag promotes one of South Africa's national treasures, our magnificent coast.
The Blue Flag campaign is proving highly successful and there has been a significant increase in response from local authorities wishing to implement the campaign. The number of beaches entering the campaign as pilot is indicative of the growing interest in Blue Flag in this country.

How is the Blue Flag awarded?
The Blue Flag is awarded to beaches that comply with the Blue Flag criteria and there are four main areas:
•    water quality
•    environmental education & information
•    environmental management
•    safety and services.
In South Africa the Blue Flag season runs for a full year from 1/11 to 31/10 the next year for beaches from East London northwards. For other beaches, the length of the season varies from beach to beach:  some for 6 months and others on the cold West Coast, only running a 4 week season during the main summer holiday season.  
Blue Flag is managed by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) in partnership with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and participating local municipalities.  The Blue Flag campaign is one of several programmes run under the Coastcare project.