Cape Town’s Blue Flag beaches are back for summer, and four more are on the way

Cape Town’s Blue Flag beaches have kept their status for another summer.

That’s good news for anyone planning a festive season beach day.

And four more beaches are now working their way towards the same award.

Eight Cape Town beaches have earned full Blue Flag status for the 2026-2027 season.

The programme also named another four as Blue Flag pilots, a step towards full accreditation.

The results were announced at the Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards ceremony at Grotto Blue Flag Beach in Hermanus on Thursday, 8 October.

CAPE TOWN’S EIGHT BLUE FLAG BEACHES

According to the City of Cape Town, the eight beaches with full Blue Flag status are:

• Bikini Beach
• Camps Bay Beach
• Clifton 4th Beach
• Fish Hoek Beach
• Llandudno Beach
• Melkbosstrand
• Muizenberg Beach
• Silwerstroomstrand

It’s the fifth season in a row that Cape Town has had eight beaches with full Blue Flag status, continuing the city’s 25 years in the programme.

Nationally, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) awarded full Blue Flag status to 50 beaches, with another 20 named as pilot sites.

FOUR MORE BEACHES ON THE WAY

Four Cape Town beaches have been named Blue Flag pilots. They must meet the same strict standards as full Blue Flag beaches:

• Chapman’s Peak (Hout Bay)
• Big Bay
• Strand
• Strandfontein

According to WESSA, pilot beaches have two seasons to improve any areas that don’t yet meet the full standard.

WHAT DOES BLUE FLAG STATUS MEAN?

Blue Flag is an international award for beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators.

Beaches are assessed against strict criteria covering water quality, safety, environmental management, education and public facilities.

WESSA runs the programme in South Africa.

But the final decision on each beach is made by an international jury.

Blue Flag beaches must also undergo regular testing by independent, accredited laboratories.

If water quality falls outside the permitted limits, the Blue Flag must be lowered until the results improve.

WHAT THE CITY SAYS ABOUT ITS BLUE FLAG BEACHES

City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for community services and health Francine Higham said the awards recognise the work behind the scenes.

“Eight full Blue Flags and four pilot sites are significant recognition of the year-round work that goes into maintaining our beaches and preparing them for residents and visitors,” she said.

She also encouraged beachgoers to help keep the beaches safe, clean and accessible for everyone.

NEW WHEELCHAIRS FOR BLUE FLAG BEACHES

There’s good news for beachgoers with mobility impairments too.

The City says several beaches, including most of its Blue Flag beaches, will have new amphibious wheelchairs this season.

These wheelchairs can move across the sand and into the water, making it easier for more people to enjoy the ocean.

WHAT ABOUT WATER QUALITY?

Water quality at Cape Town’s beaches has been hotly debated.

Late last year, Professor Leslie Petrik, an environmental chemist at the University of the Western Cape, said both partially treated effluent and raw sewage were entering Cape Town’s marine environment, including near Blue Flag beaches.

The City disputes that picture.

In August, the City said 98.6% of 513 seawater samples collected near its marine sewage outfalls between April and June met water quality guidelines.

It said coastal water quality around the outfalls at Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay is generally stable and remains safe, but added that it is “not complacent”.

The City publishes its results on a public coastal water quality dashboard, so you can check before you swim.

I’ll admit, a Blue Flag is always the first thing I look for when choosing a beach.

It’s a quick sign that someone is keeping an eye on the water, the safety and the facilities.