Flags on Beaches (Spain)

Last modified: 2001-09-08 by santiago dotor
Keywords: spain | beach | bathing condition |
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• Sea Bathing Condition Flags

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• Spain

Safe bathing condition
by Santiago Dotor

Bathing with caution
by Santiago Dotor

No bathing
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