What do the flags on the beach mean? Blue flag on the beach

In June, the jury traditionally completed its work on awarding the world's beaches the Blue Flag, an environmental certificate issued to beaches and marinas in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, as well as New Zealand and Canada, based on a decision on compliance with the requirements of the program of the same name. How many beaches on the peninsula have been classified, what color the flags are installed on them and why, as well as what these flags mean, Crimea.Realities looked into.

The highest environmental indicator in the 2018 season was assigned to the beaches (excluding marinas and private ships): Spain - 590 (2016 - 586, 2017 - 579), Greece - 519 (2016 - 429, 2017 - 485), Turkey - 459 (2016 - 414, 2017 – 454).

14 beaches in Ukraine received the Blue Flag certificate in 2018: 6 - in Kiev on the Dnieper, 1 - in Pushcha Voditsa, 5 - on the coast of the Odessa region, 1 - in Mariupol, 1 - in Crimea (Masandrovsky beach).

In 2018, Russia proved that seven beaches met the requirements of the Blue Flag certificate: 1 in the Kaliningrad region, 6 in the Krasnodar region.

The “Blue Flag” on Massandrovsky beach in Yalta is not alone. On the beaches of annexed Crimea, the Russian authorities provide for the installation of “blue”, “yellow” and “green” flags, while the rules of the International Water Rescue Federation (ILS), of which authorized organizations of Russia and Ukraine are members, provide for a separate flag warning system on beaches. And the international ISO standard system - and the corresponding signs.

How many beaches are there in Crimea?

In 2018, it is planned to open 449 beaches in Crimea. This was reported on the eve of the holiday season by the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea.

Today, 393 coastal areas are open to vacationers

Vitaly Sklyarov

“Crimean rescuers inspected and allowed to work almost all beaches declared by tenants; today 393 coastal territories are open to vacationers,” RIA Crimea quotes the head of the department of safety of people on water bodies of the Russian head office of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Crimea Vitaly Sklyarov.

Blue, yellow, green

Classification is a procedure for assessing compliance with the requirements of a beach category, assigning and confirming a category. It is established by the “Procedure for the classification of objects of the tourism industry, including hotels and other accommodation facilities, ski slopes and beaches, carried out by accredited organizations,” which was approved by order of the Ministry of Culture of Russia No. 1215 dated July 11, 2014.

Classification is carried out in three categories. The highest category of beaches is I, the lowest is III. The sign of the beach category is a flag of the corresponding color. Category I beach corresponds to a blue flag, category II – green, category III – yellow. The flag is hung at the entrance to the beach or in the most accessible place for informing visitors.

The assignment of categories to beaches in Russia is carried out by organizations accredited in accordance with the established procedure in the state System for Classifying Objects of the Tourism Industry. The validity period of the category assignment certificate is 3 years.

Voluntary or forced?

The classification of tourism industry objects is carried out on a voluntary basis, as stated in paragraph 3 of the “Procedure for the classification of tourism industry objects, including hotels and other accommodation facilities, ski slopes and beaches, carried out by accredited organizations.” However, according to the Russian Federal Law (FL) “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in the Russian Federation” and the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses in order to improve the legal regulation of the provision of hotel services and the classification of tourism industry objects”, from July 2019 An article on administrative violations is introduced, which provides for liability for the provision of hotel services without assigning a certain category to the hotel.

Crimean owners of treasured flags

On the peninsula, the blue flag (first category) flies on 8 beaches:

• Riviera Sunrise Resort & SPA beach of the Crimean Riviera hotel complex, a branch of the limited liability company Kronos (Alushta);
• beach of the limited liability company “National Center for Paralympic and Deflympic Training and Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons” (Evpatoria);
• beach "Sand Bay" (Sevastopol);
• beach "SPA-Hotel "Primorsky Park" of the limited liability company "Centrinvest" (Yalta);
• beach of the eco-hotel "Levant" of the limited liability company "Management Company "Krasotel" (Yalta);
• “Crimean Breeze” beach (Yalta);
• Mriya Resort & Spa beach (Yalta);
• "Massandra" beach of the Limited Liability Company "ILVIA" (Yalta).

The second category (green flag) was assigned to one beach in Crimea - the beach of Aquatekhnosport LLC (Alushta).

Who are you, classifier?

The accredited organizations that carried out the examination of objects in the annexed Crimea as part of the classification process are all from the neighboring Russian Krasnodar: non-public joint stock company “Resort Expertise”, autonomous non-profit organization “Center for Expertise and Quality “Resort-Consulting”, limited liability company “Certification Center” , classification and quality control". The accreditation body is the Ministry of Resorts, Tourism and Olympic Heritage of the Krasnodar Territory.

Crimean beaches are considered by the nouveau riche as a tasty morsel for exploitation by Russian business

“It’s surprising that organizations from Krasnodar have become accredited classifiers for the beaches of Crimea. This suggests that in neighboring Russia they are trying with all their might to close the spheres of Crimean life to their own continent. And, of course, the Crimean beaches are considered by the nouveau riche as a tasty morsel for exploitation by Russian business,” says the deputy head of the Kiev public organization “Environmental Initiative” and the national coordinator of the Blue Flag program in Ukraine.

“The results of the meeting of the international jury to assign Blue Flags to beaches in Russia and Ukraine this year once again showed that they adhere to international law and support the territorial integrity of our country. Crimea is considered exclusively as the territory of Ukraine. Therefore, thanks to the initiative of Ukraine, the Blue Flag is again flying over the Massandrovsky beach in Yalta. Both Russian and Crimean authorities have confused themselves and confused vacationers on the beaches of annexed Crimea. After all, the international system already provides flags of blue (purple), yellow and green. These flags do not mean what they invented in Russia. Purple (blue) – presence of dangerous living creatures in the water, yellow – medium level danger, swimming alone is prohibited, green – swimming is safe,” concludes Modest Aleev.

Beaches that have received the Blue Flag are included by the International Tourism Organization in the list of places recommended for visiting. Holidaymakers and vacationers around the world are guided by the presence or absence of the Blue Flag when choosing a holiday destination.

Massandra beach was one of the first whose environmental quality was presented by Ukraine at the international level, and the first Ukrainian beach awarded the Blue Flag in 2010. This certificate was confirmed in 2016, 2017 and onwards.

Every year people die at sea, and often this happens on well-maintained beaches where there are lifeguards. To protect yourself from possible troubles, I advise you to read this article and remember what the flags on the beach mean.

Surely, while relaxing at seaside resorts, you have more than once seen waving flags of different colors above rescue booths or towers. They help vacationers understand what dangers may be present at sea.

As a rule, all beaches in the world use a single, generally accepted hazard warning system, but there are minor differences, which we will discuss later. The most important thing to remember is that the color warning system of flags is similar to the warning system at traffic lights: green - allowed, yellow - attention, red (brown or black) - prohibited!

What do the flags on the beaches of Russia and the former USSR mean?

In the countries of the former socialist camp, only two flags are mainly used: yellow and black.

Yellow flag

A yellow flag on a beach in Russia simply means that swimming is allowed. There are lifeguards on the beach.

Black flag or black ball

The meaning of flags on the beaches of the world

Blue flag

This is a beach quality certificate. This flag is hung on the beach, which has undergone a special 27-point inspection. Certification takes place every year, before the start of the swimming season. Having such a flag is very prestigious. As far as I know, there are no such beaches in Russia and Ukraine.

Green flag (or white)

Safe sea, swimming allowed. There are no restrictions.

Yellow flag

Swimming is allowed, but there is a danger to life. Rescuers are working. It is not recommended to go into the water alone.

Yellow-red flag

Safe swimming area guarded by lifeguards.

Red flag (or black)

A red or black flag, sometimes with inscriptions or drawings, means a complete ban on swimming. The reasons may be different: storm, quicksand, sea predators, whirlpool and others.

Purple flag

This flag warns of the presence of dangerous sea creatures in sea water that can cause harm to human health.

Brown flag

Swimming is prohibited. The water is polluted.

Sometimes you can find several flags hanging, in such cases the information is summarized. Often, before entering the beach you can see a sign describing the meaning of the flags. That's basically all you need to know. Be careful and do not ignore the warnings of rescuers.

All beaches suitable for swimming have adopted an international safety alert system, which is monitored by coast patrol.

Major flags on the beach

Remembering the flag system is as easy as remembering the colors of a traffic light:

Red flag- danger! Swimming is prohibited! Two red flags - you can’t go into the water at all.
Yellow flag- Be careful, it is advisable not to swim alone.
Green flag— the sea is calm, safe conditions for swimming.

A red flag prohibiting swimming can mean both the risk of strong currents and danger from marine life. Therefore, you should not “by eye” estimate the height of the waves, relying on your own ideas about safety.

However, one should not confuse this red-yellow flag on the beach (usually there are two of them) - encloses an area within which you can safely swim, the area is guarded by lifeguards (see our material “). This rule is common on almost all equipped American and Australian beaches: rule "Swim Between the Flags". The continuation sounds convincing: “If we don’t see you, we won’t be able to save you.”.

Purple/blue flag- meaning the presence of dangerous marine life, these are, as a rule, stinging jellyfish, "Portuguese man-of-war", stingrays - the one who dealt with them does not need to be convinced. The purple flag may be present in conjunction with the flags listed above. Like, for example, in this photo: a yellow flag means medium danger, moderate surf and current, but next to it there is a purple flag, which means that marine life is active. As you can see, people are leaving the beach.

Brown/orange flag may mean that there are problems with the purity of water and the environment, in particular, they are polluted. Remembering this color by analogy with excrement is also easy.
In total, the complete set of main flags looks something like this:

There are minor differences in different countries - for example, blue is used instead of purple (not to be confused with the blue flag, see below), and orange is used instead of brown. In addition to flags, beaches usually post rules for rescue when caught in a “rip current” (see our material) and beach rules, for example: “Diving from the pier is prohibited”, “Dog walking is prohibited”, “You cannot bring food and drinks”, “Nudism is prohibited”, “High risk of sharks”, etc.

Surfer flags

Some beaches, notable for their large waves, are popular with surfers. Surf spots equipped with black and white "chess flag". Just like the Formula 1 flag, it's easy to remember.
There are always signs on the beach where you should surf ( surf), and where to swim ( swim). The surfing area, where lifeguards are on duty, as well as the swimming area, is fenced with flags on both sides. Rule "Surf Between the Flags" works here too.

Danger of shark attacks

Big water, while providing incredible opportunities for surfing and diving, whale and dolphin watching, and diving into the rich underwater world, also poses a danger due to marine predators. In particular, these are the beaches of Thailand, South Africa, Australia, and the USA. In places where there is a danger of human encounters with sharks, there are usually flags warning about the degree of risk.

What to do if there is a danger of a shark attack - you can watch in the cartoon video(English.)

Blue flag

And now about the pleasant things. Beaches have their own rating of quality and cleanliness, just like hotels and restaurants have a number of stars. The Blue Flag is the highest international award for a beach.

Historical background: the Blue Flag beach quality certificate was established by the French in 1985. That's what they called it - the Blue Flag. Since 1987, Europe, represented by the EU, has joined the program. The whole world followed Europe and now about 60 countries participate in the Blue Flag program (official website).

In addition to beaches, the program evaluates marinas (moorings for boats and yachts). The program is conducted by the International Federation of Environmental Education - FEO (Foundation for Environmental Education - FEE). Only she has the right to issue the Blue Flag. But only for one year. After a year, the beach or marina must reaffirm its right to hang a blue flag over the clean sand. The renewal time for Blue Flag certificates in the Northern Hemisphere is around 5 June each year. For the Southern Hemisphere and Caribbean, this occurs around November 1st.

A beach with a blue flag flies guarantees vacationers that:

— access to the beach is free;
— the water is clean and tested weekly;
— garbage is collected and sand is cleaned;
— there is a surveillance and rescue service on the beach;
— if necessary, emergency assistance can be provided right on the beach;
— there are showers;
— motorized vehicles do not drive on the beach;
— Pets use a different beach.

There are 29 criteria for evaluating beaches in total. The standards contained in them are very strict and tend to become even more stringent over time. Ordinary vacationers do not need to study all the intricacies of the program; it is enough to simply know that the blue flag is a reliable indicator of the highest quality of the beach. You can try to search for your country and beach on the official website in the list of Blue Flag beaches.

Yantarny and Massandra are where you should go to relax on the beach. It is there, according to international experts of the Blue Flag award, that the best beach areas in Russia are located. The rest of the Russian beaches, it turns out, g***o?
Looking at the rating and the number of world-class beaches in other countries, it is striking that there are such a small number of them in Russia. Even in Ukraine there are already 10 such beaches (!!!).

By the way, according to the official data of the award, the beach in the village of Yantarny (Kalingrad region) is generally the only one in Russia awarded this prestigious quality mark, because Massandra in Europe is considered Ukrainian (the Massandra beach in Yalta received its first Blue Flag back in 2010, and in this he once again confirmed it).

The top three global beach top countries are: Spain (579 beaches), Greece (485 beaches) and Turkey (454 beaches). The top 10 also included France (390), Italy (342), Portugal (320), Denmark (225), Croatia (99), Ireland (81) and England (68). In total, there are 43 countries in the top with 3,662 beaches. Yacht marinas and boat stations are evaluated separately—Russia is not yet on these lists. For comparison: in Ukraine there are 10 beaches with the Blue Flag - in Kyiv and Odessa.

Blue Flag is the highest quality standard for beaches. To raise it above the coastal zone, desire and clean water are not enough - infrastructure is needed. The international commission certifies a place according to 33 criteria, and the requirements are growing every year. The main ones are:
access to the beach is free;
the water is clean and tested weekly;
garbage is collected and sand is cleared at the end of the day;
There are lifeguards on the beach;
emergency assistance is provided on site;
there are showers;
motorized vehicles do not drive on the beach;
pets use a different beach.
In fact, Blue Flag is an environmental program based on respect and conservation of the surrounding ecosystem, natural phenomena and biodiversity.

As for Massandra beach.
It was he who became the first owner of the Blue Flag in the “Russian-speaking” countries of the former USSR” (phrase from the Blue Flag release). In addition, it is considered the best equipped beach in Yalta and the entire South Coast for the disabled.
The length of the Massandrovsky beach complex is 460 m. It is divided by concrete breakwaters into seven sectors: with free access and VIP areas from 8 to 10 euros. The beach is equipped with several cafes and restaurants, a sports club, a children's playground, a swimming pool with running water, a shower and a toilet.
The useful area of ​​the beach has been expanded through the use of so-called “terraces” - special buildings located above the groins. Some are given over to sunbathing areas, some for walking, and some provide services for cafe visitors.

The beach is pebble, but you can reach the water along specially equipped wooden paths. Entrance to the territory is free. Sun loungers, umbrellas and other equipment are available for rent at an additional cost. There are designated areas for smokers

By the way, Massandrovsky is not the only one in Crimea who raised the Blue Flag to the flagpole. The beach of the Aquamarine Hotel in Sevastopol received a similar award in 2013 and 2014, but...everything flows, everything changes, someone loses and someone gains, and the flags are passed on to the best of the best.

Officially, the first Blue Flag award in Russia in 2016 was received (and confirmed) by the coastal zone in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region - the sandy beach “Shakhta Anna”.

A wooden bridge with observation platforms leads to it. The length of the beach complex is about 500 m. The recreation area has electricity, water supply, sewerage, changing cabins and toilets.

The beach is equipped with showers and drinking water taps. In addition, children's and sports grounds have been installed. Behind the dunes on the lake, there is a separate swimming area for children. For an additional fee, you can rent umbrellas and comfortable sun loungers of various types and price categories. There are several cafes and a restaurant on the beach. The rescue post is equipped with communications with the police, ambulance and village administration.

And what happens, in all of Russia there is no one else and there is no money to equip resorts for NORMAL holidays? After all, on these beaches, diamonds are not handed out or a UFO lands - people are just relaxing, but they are relaxing, and not running around in search of water or a toilet...

The Blue Flag is an international award presented annually since 1987 by the non-profit organization Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). France is considered the birthplace of the award, where the first award took place in 1985.
The Blue Flag is awarded to a beach for one swimming season in the current year. In a year, the coastal area must re-prove the high quality of the services provided. The time for renewal of Blue Flag certificates in the Northern Hemisphere is annually in late May - early June.

Based on materials:

How many people have seen the Blue Flag on the beach? What does it mean? Apparently, not many people know this. Therefore, it is worth understanding what the special flag means and whether it makes sense to search for beaches marked in this way in advance.

Beach holiday

Many people cannot imagine their vacation without the gentle sun and sea. Therefore, every year warm southern resorts receive a huge number of tourists who flock to the beaches. But their needs vary: some like a calm sea, while others like small waves and wind. For some, it is critical whether the beach is pebble or sandy, but there are people with special needs. But be that as it may, everyone understands that they need to relax on the shore that is completely safe, where there is all the necessary equipment.

Many beaches around the world have a special system of colored flags, which shows that, for example, there are creatures in the sea that are dangerous to people, or the waves are too big, and therefore swimming is prohibited. But the same colors are not always used, so it is easy to get confused in the designations. But there is also an international sign - the Blue Flag on the beach. What does it mean?

Blue flags

The problem of assessing the quality of beaches became relevant quite a long time ago, and already in 1985 a special system began to operate. Initially it operated only within Europe, but in 2001 the organization, which certifies seaside holiday destinations, became global. Today it has about 50 participating countries in Eurasia, Africa, Oceania, North and South America. Initially, a blue flag on the beach meant high quality sea water (according to several parameters); today it is used only for those places that meet almost 30 different criteria. Obviously, this sign is very prestigious, and such beaches attract more tourists. That is why the requirements become more stringent every year, but more and more recreation areas receive these awards, and more and more countries join a kind of club. Certification of beaches in the eastern hemisphere is carried out in May-June, and in the Caribbean - in early November.

Award Criteria

Before each season, the beaches of the countries participating in the project are certified. Many parameters are taken into account, divided into the following categories.

1. Water quality:

• Compliance with the requirements adopted by the EU Directive.
• No industrial wastewater discharge.
• Availability of local or regional action plans in case of pollution resulting from accidents.
• Preventing the accumulation of algae in recreation areas.
• Meeting municipal wastewater treatment requirements.

2. Environmental information:

• Availability of at least 5 educational programs.
• Timely notification of actual or suspected beach pollution.
• Providing information to visitors about applicable laws and codes, as well as rules of conduct.
• Information about dangerous areas near the coast, including habitats of local flora and fauna, representatives of which can cause harm to humans.
• Availability of a special educational center.
• Timely updating and actualization of all provided information.

3. Environmental management:

• Having a sufficient number of garbage cans that are regularly serviced and emptied.
• Carrying out regular and, if necessary, daily cleaning of the beach area.
• Availability of a land use and development plan for the coastal zone separately or regionally.
• A complete ban on the entry of vehicles without special permission, unauthorized camping, dumping of waste and car or motorcycle racing on the beach.
• Availability of secure access.
• Actively promote the use of environmentally friendly modes of transport to visit the coastal zone.

4. Security:

• Availability of all first aid equipment on the beach.
• Strict compliance with state laws regarding the presence of various animals in the recreation area.
• Availability of lifeguards and necessary equipment on the beach and/or other means of ensuring safety and preventing accidents.
• Access to a source of drinking water.
• Availability of a working telephone if there are no lifeguards on the beach.
• All buildings and structures must be kept in order and clean.

Not all of the above criteria are mandatory; some of them are advisory in nature. And yet, in order to receive the highest rating - the blue flag - every year the authorities try to make the beaches better and better. And many succeed: in 2015, there were 4,159 places on the world map that were awarded this quality mark. Beaches marked with the Blue Flag received a huge number of tourists over the summer, while not forgetting to maintain the required level of safety and cleanliness. The prestige of this award is so high that many people even plan their vacations based on the most highly rated recreation areas by experts. So where are most of them located?

Spain

Every year, a huge number of beaches are awarded the Blue Flag. In 2015, Spain became the first in the number of such places - 577 certified sections of sea coasts were counted on its map. Most of the beaches, the environmental cleanliness and safety of which have been confirmed, are located in Galicia. Valencia was in second place, and Catalonia in third. Let's see if Spain will be able to maintain its leadership in 2016 and, perhaps, improve the result? In the meantime, it is much more difficult for an inexperienced tourist to get to a beach that is not marked with a flag, and soon this will probably be completely impossible.

Türkiye

In the spring of 2015, it turned out that another popular southern country received “silver” in the competition for the number of certified beaches. It was Turkey with a score of 436. Most of the marked beaches are located in regions traditionally popular with Russians - Bodrum, Kemer, Antalya, Marmaris. And there is hope that next year even more places will receive the distinction - the Blue Flag.

Greece

Hellas moved to third place from last year's second place, with a result of 395 recreation areas, having lost as many as 13 marked coasts. Obviously, the crisis affecting Greece was also the reason why the government focused on more pressing issues. Most of the local beaches over which the Blue Flag flutters are concentrated in traditional resort areas - in Crete and the Halkidiki peninsula.

France

The country that gave birth to the Blue Flag movement ranked fourth in terms of the number of Blue Flags in 2015. France is quite a bit behind Greece - on its territory there are 379 beaches that meet all the criteria of environmental cleanliness and safety. Vacation spots marked with the Blue Flag are distributed fairly evenly along the coast. A sufficient number of them are located both near the English Channel, and near the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Cyprus

Another country that is always loved by residents of northern latitudes, in 2015 it received 57 awards, the same as last year, and almost all of them are concentrated in the southern part of the island. This may not seem like much compared to the hundreds in previous countries. However, let's not forget about the small size of the island. By the way, it is worth mentioning that Cyprus is a kind of record holder: firstly, it has the largest number of marked vacation spots per capita, and secondly, the largest number of them per unit length of the coastline. Mostly Blue Flag beaches in Cyprus are located in the areas of Limassol, Larnaca, Ayia Napa and Famagusta.

Russia

Despite the fact that the Russian Federation does not have many warm places with beaches, it has been participating in the Blue Flag program for several years. Unfortunately, during all this time, only a couple of yacht clubs were awarded the prestigious award, but not a single beach was certified to meet European standards. However, let’s not be discouraged: perhaps in the coming years the situation will change for the better.

Blue flag

Blue flag- an international award, awarded annually since 1987 to beaches and marinas whose water meets high quality standards and is suitable for safe swimming. France is considered the birthplace of the Blue Flag, where the first award took place in 1985.

The Blue Flag nomination is managed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which is a non-profit non-governmental organization. The Foundation consists of 65 organizations located in 60 countries and representing Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, North and South America.

Meeting the Blue Flag criteria requires adherence to strict standards of water quality, safety and environmental education. For locations located in the European Union, full compliance with the adopted directives is also necessary.

The annual award ceremony takes place on June 5 (for countries in Europe, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia and similar geographical locations) and November 1 (for countries in the Caribbean, New Zealand, South Africa and similar countries located in the Southern Hemisphere).

In 2009, more than 3,450 beaches and marinas were awarded the Blue Flag.

Currently, the following countries of the world participate in the Blue Flag program: Bahamas, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales, United Arab Emirates, Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten. In Aruba, the program is operating at a pilot level.

Many holidaymakers around the world rely on the Blue Flag rating of a future holiday destination when planning their trip.

The only beach in Russia awarded the Blue Flag is located in the village. Yantarny, Kaliningrad region.

What do the colors of the flags on the beach mean?

Hedgehogs are not only thorns :)

Green flag - the sea is calm, safe conditions for swimming
Yellow flag - use caution, it is advisable not to swim alone
Red flag - danger! Swimming is prohibited!

Arseniy Limonov

Blue flag, with or without pattern
The Blue Flag is a pride and a coveted prize for any beach. It indicates that the beach has successfully passed testing according to 27 international criteria, it is clean and meets environmental standards. If the flag has a pattern of white stripes, it means it is a luxury beach. European beaches are assessed annually, before the start of each season. Otherwise, the year of receipt may be indicated on the flag.
Green flag
You can safely go into the water, the sea is calm. This is the most standard sign; often it is not installed at all.
Yellow/orange flag
You need to be careful - on such a beach there are moderate waves or there are undercurrents. As a rule, there are lifeguards on duty at the beach and they have the right not to let you into the water if there are dangerous waves.
Red flag
Swimming is prohibited.
Double red flag
The danger is increased - entering the water is strictly prohibited. The reasons can be very different - from a storm, the beginning of the hunting season for local animals and sharks, to strong low tides that can drag you into the open sea or ocean, and even quicksand.
Purple flag (sometimes blue)
Evidence of the activity of dangerous marine animals in the coastal zone - stingrays, jellyfish, sharks.
Brown flag
The beach is polluted.
Black flag or ball
High probability of shark attacks.
Black and white checkerboard flag
There are areas for surfers on this beach and areas for surfing in the sea. Swimming is not recommended due to the possibility of injury in a collision with an athlete.
Red and yellow flag
This color of the flag indicates that the beach has certain boundaries within which lifeguards are on duty. As a rule, two such flags are installed, which delineate the boundaries of the zone. Lifeguards have the right to prohibit you from swimming outside the boundaries. If you swim outside a certain area, lifeguards are unlikely to be able to help you.
Black circle on a yellow background
In the US, this flag means you can't surf here.
Blue triangular flag
This flag can often be seen on the beaches of Vietnam. He says that there is a certain danger on this beach - most likely strong waves or underwater currents.
White flag
Swimming is allowed.
Shark flag
It is a green, black, red or white flag with a silhouette of a shark. Determines the threat level of shark attacks along the coast.

Blue flag on the beach - what does it mean?

Gennady59

The Blue Flag on the beach is something like a certificate of quality. I don’t remember which organization, but some pretty serious one, every year checks the quality of the beach according to several criteria (cleanliness of water, daily garbage collection, presence of lifeguards, other infrastructure, such as changing rooms, beach cafes) and issues (or not issues) a blue flag for the season.

I myself live in Latvia, and therefore I have heard a little about this, because... the beaches of our Jurmala participate (and quite successfully) in this selection every year. And this year the blue flag proudly flies on the beaches of Jurmala.

Class. What do oceanic red flags mean?

A Russian tourist arrives at the beach. Every day of your vacation counts (and costs hundreds of dollars), and here on the beautiful white beach of Varadero, red flags are waving in the wind. Like, you can't swim.

The tourist, of course, spits on this and climbs into the water. So what, what about waves? Immediately 150 meters ahead waist-deep. On the contrary, it’s great to feel the power of the ocean waves covering you headlong.
But it was not there. From the ocean, Rousseau drags the tourist by force (precisely force, without any figures of speech) back to the river by a local Cuban rescuer. No arguments in Russian or English help. You can't, that's all.
After some time, the tourist learns that a Cuban lifeguard, if a vacationer gets hurt on his section of the beach, will be imprisoned for 3 years without talking and attributes his behavior to fear of prison. Cursing the repressive system, he goes to splash in the pool.

A new day is coming. The sea has calmed down. There are almost no waves. But there are red flags on the beach again! They're dragging me out of the water again!! This doesn't fit into any corners anymore. The tourist swears at the rescuer, and in response he hears only an incomprehensible tongue twister in Spanish, where the word “Portugal” is guessed. Like, next time go for a swim in the Atlantic in Portugal, the tourist decides and in impotent anger he goes to drink another mojito, completely unaware that the lifeguard quite possibly saved him from long days of painful agony.
But lifeguards stand every 100 meters only on the beaches of Varadero. In Guanabo, 30 km from Havana, the beaches are chosen exclusively by the local population. And since Cubans do not swim in the sea in winter (from their point of view it is cold), there are almost no lifeguards around.
We first saw red flags on the beach in Guanabo. We remembered the stories of tourists in Varadero about the atrocities of rescuers. We were glad that here no one would stop us from feeling the power of the waves. And I happily climbed into the water.
There was a clear storm at sea, which is why the usually crystal clear water was a muddy yellow suspension of sand. The bottom was not visible. Either pieces of boards or a bunch of seaweed hit my leg. We also found stones at the bottom.
It became a little alarming. Well, how can the next wave, from the onslaught of which you can hardly stay on your feet, give you such a stone to the head. So, after spending no more than two minutes in the water, I climbed back out, deciding that that was enough for today. He advised his wife not to go into the water at all, but after looking at the muddy waves, she herself didn’t want to.
We walked further along the beach. But we only walked about three meters.
Near the water on the sand we saw something that made me feel cold at the thought of how this trip could end.

This is not a jellyfish, as Western guidebooks mistakenly call it (blue jellyfish). This is a siphonophore - an invertebrate organism close to jellyfish.
Its scientific name is physalia, but among the people everyone knows it as the “Portuguese man-of-war”
From the outside, it looks like an inflated fish bladder, blue with a purple stripe, which it floats along the waves. It is along the waves that a bubble inflated with air (scientifically called a pneumatophore) is held above the surface of the water. And under the water the most interesting thing is the long, thick blue tentacles.

The tentacles can reach up to 50 meters, but in adults they are usually 10 meters long. We saw, apparently, young individuals - 5-6 meters was the record, but it was still impressive.

Tentacles are thin strands of stinging cells that burn those who touch them with strong poison.
It is unlikely that you will die on the spot from a Portuguese man-of-war burn. But getting an extremely painful burn is certain. The poison can cause paralysis. If the tentacle passes along the spine, then there is every chance of drowning, because... paralyzes.
But I stood in the waves that covered my head. Accidentally entangle such a creature's head...

The entire coast was littered with Portuguese ships. Sand like laser beams in a bank vault crossed their spread threads.
And it was lucky that they were wet and the wind was not so strong. Sometimes the wind blows these threads through the air - as a result of what was called the "purple wind" in 1974 in Florida, up to 400 people received serious burns.

The next morning the sea calmed. But apparently the storm was so strong that it carried too many ships out of the open ocean. Before our eyes, the already calm waves continued to throw new individuals ashore.

Lifeguards walked along the beach, methodically bursting blue bubbles (we tried it ourselves - if you throw a stone at it, it explodes joyfully like an inflated bag).
But there were too many of them. From large to very tiny - Zhenya still stepped on one of the little ones. The foot instantly became swollen, but... There was very little poison in it, everything went away in 2 days.

Usually the “season” for such ocean gifts is August-September - the time of storms. But even in winter it sometimes happens...
And most importantly, they are beautiful devils. They just move too frighteningly. An incomprehensible gelatinous mass slowly wriggles, rising at one end, as if trying to get a better look at you. (There is a video on the camera, but I don’t know how to put it online :))
It is not surprising that many come specifically to look at them.

(count how many individuals are lying around your friend)
In general, I warned you.
Although some crazy Cubans do bathe. Even with children. But they don't go far. However, in a calm sea the boat can be seen from afar...