Flags on Beaches (Spain)

Last modified: 2009-01-17 by eugene ipavec
Keywords: spain | beach | bathing condition | jellyfish warning | jellyfish: 2 (purple) |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• Sea Bathing Condition Flags
• Ecoplayas Flags
• Jellyfish Warning Flag

See also:

• Storm Signals
• Spain

Safe bathing condition
image by Santiago Dotor

Bathing with caution
image by Santiago Dotor

No bathing
image by Santiago Dotor

Flags are used on Spanish beaches as a way to state sea weather conditions. Most Spanish beaches of a relevant size/attendance display flags which can be either green, indicating safe bathing sea condition, yellow, indicating bathing with caution, or red, indicating bathing is prohibited or very dangerous. The flag is usually displayed alone on a pole, but at least in Alicante I have also seen it beside a Spanish flag (without coat-of-arms) flown from twin halyards from a pole with crossbar. The flag is changed daily and often even more frequently, as weather conditions change. This is normally managed by Red Cross or Civil Protection volunteers. The flags are usually around 1,0m x 1,5m but I guess there is no official size and other sizes are frequent. Normally there is a flagpole every 500-700 m along the beach, so that the flag is clearly visible from any point in the beach and nearby bathing areas.

Santiago Dotor, 3 September 1999

The IX Beaches' Congress and Exhibition ("Congreso y Exposición Internacional de Playa") took place in El Puerto on 3-5 October 2007. The congress' organizer, the association "Ategrus" (Asociación Técnica para la Gestión de Residuos, Aseo Urbano y Medio Ambiente - "Technical Association for the Management of Waste, Urban and Environment Cleanliness"), has released the list of the beaches that were granted the Ecoplayas flag.

"El Diario Bahía de Cádiz" reports that the flag was granted to Valdelagrana and Levante. A colour photography shows the Ecoplayas flag: divided by a rainbow emerging from the upper left corner and ending in the bottom of the flag, but not in the upper right corner, which shows the "Ategrus" logotype. The Ecoplayas logotype is placed in upper right corner, while the year, here 2007, is placed in the center of the bottom part of the flag.

See also the flag granted to Gandia, and the Ecoplayas website.

Source: El Diario Bahía de Cádiz

Ivan Sache, 08 Oct 2006

image by Eugene Ipavec, 06 Jan 2009

Starting 1 July, the presence of jellyfishes in the waters near the Catalan beaches will be signaled by a specific flag. The jellyfish flag, white with two jellyfishes, will be flown along with a yellow (bathing dangerous) or red (bathing forbidden) flag. This was announced by the Red Cross, according to RedAragon.

Source: RedAragon, 17 Jun 2006

Ivan Sache, 19 Jun 2006

"El Periódico" shows the hoisting of this flag, together with the yellow flag, on the beach of Barceloneta.

Source: El Periódico, 21 Aug 2007

Ivan Sache, 19 Jun 2006